Embrace Life`s Unexpected Journeys - Nacada

Transcription

In This Issue
How to Promote Global Citizenry Outside
of the Classrooms: At the Local, National,
and International Levels
Page 1
NACADA President Casey Self shares his
thoughts about Celebration and Challenge
in NACADA’s 30th Year
Page 2
Executive Director Charlie Nutt looks
forward with NACADA 2.0 – Planning for
the Future
Page 3
NACADA Theory and Philosophy of
Advising Commission Chair discusses The
Internationalization of NACADA Page 4
ADVISING ISSUES: The Value of Mentoring
- for both students and their advisors
Page 5
Two Canadian advisors asks questions
about “Grounding” the “Helicopters”
Page 9
Exploratory Students and Persistence
Page 10
Native American and Tribal Colleges
Interest Group members consider In Our
Own Best Interest
Page 11
VANTAGE POINT: NACADA Vice-President
Jayne Drake shares Observations on Life
as an Advising Administrator
Page 12
VANTAGE POINT: True Adventures of a
Master Faculty Advisor
Page 13
The University of Texas at El Paso’s
Associate Provost for Undergraduate
Studies Donna Ekal encourages us to
Embrace Life’s Unexpected Journeys
Page 14
NACADA Webinar Advisory Board
members discuss Optimizing the NACADA
Webcast Experience
Page 15
2009 NACADA Leadership Election
Information, SPARKLERs, Career Corner,
Annual Conference Review, Commission
and Interest Group Updates, and much
more
Pages 16
How to Promote Global Citizenry Outside of the Classrooms: At the Local, National, and International Levels
Yung-Hwa Anna Chow, Washington State University
C
entral to the formation of a democracy is the
challenge of producing responsible citizens and
life-long learners who can critically think and analyze
issues that are vital to our society, a practice that results
from a commitment to critical pedagogy. Educators
such as Paulo Freire believed that education plays an
important role in building a democratic society and
that through critical pedagogy students are empowered
to affect social change. As our world becomes a
global community, the significance of producing
globally-competent citizens is turning into a hot topic
on university and college campuses. As academic advisors move away from a
“service”-oriented role to that of a “teacher” (2006), we also need to fulfill our
duty in the name of critical pedagogy. As stated in the Preamble of the NACADA
Concept of Academic Advising,
Academic advising is integral to fulfilling the teaching and learning mission
of higher education. Through academic advising, students learn to become
members of their higher education community, to think critically about
their roles and responsibilities as students, and to prepare to be educated
citizens of a democratic society and a global community. Academic advising
engages students beyond their own world views, while acknowledging
their individual characteristics, values, and motivations as they enter, move
through, and exit the institutions (2006).
With the global turn and the ever-increasing demands to produce informed and
critically-aware citizens, the guiding question for twenty-first century advisors must
be: how do we, as academic advisors, connect the need for producing responsible
citizens and life-long learners to our global community? I propose that there are at
least three ways to fulfill that goal at the local, national, and international levels:
1) Students can utilize lectures, plays, and other public events offered on their
campuses; 2) The National Student Exchange Program offers a wide variety of
opportunities in various locales and for cultural perspectives within the U.S.;
3) The study abroad program offers international development of cross-cultural
awareness in a global society. The role of advisors, then, is to utilize these tools
and mold our students into critical thinkers and active participants in our global
society.
The foundation of building a democracy through global citizenry is the ability
to critically analyze and question social inequalities. West (2004) believes that
democracy stems from the Socratic commitment to seek out injustices, which
“requires a relentless self-examination and critique of institutions of authority,
motivated by an endless quest for intellectual integrity and moral consistency”
(p. 16). On university and college campuses, students can strive for conscious
citizenry through attending lectures, plays, and exhibits that educate the public
about social inequalities such as racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. The “Tunnel
of Oppression” exhibit is a great way to encourage student participation. Each
year, many campuses assemble this interactive exhibit that allows students to
continued on page 26
Academic Advising Today
Volume 31, No. 4 December 2008
1
Celebration and
Challenge in
NACADA’s 30th Year
become more involved in two Commissions that connected
closely with my professional and personal interests: the
Advising Administration Commission and the Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual & Transgender Concerns Commission.
T
I have had the privilege of fulfilling a number of leadership roles
including: LGBT Concerns Commission Chair, Commission
& Interest Group Division Elected Representative, NACADA
Council Member, NACADA Board of Directors, and most
recently NACADA Vice President. I look forward to my term
as President this year while our Association pays particular
attention to a number of critical and exciting areas:
Casey Self, President,
NACADA
here is nothing more
exciting and rejuvenating
for me than attending a
NACADA Annual Conference
with over 3500 of you in a
wonderful city! I know you will
join with me in thanking the
host committee, numerous NACADA volunteers, conference
presenters, and the NACADA Executive Office staff for an
outstanding job in pulling off the largest NACADA Annual
Conference ever. This Association is truly remarkable in the
caliber of individuals who make it the best Association and
best Conference.
I also wish to extend my gratitude and thanks to all the
NACADA Leaders for helping make our members feel that
they matter and are appreciated for the roles they play on
our campuses. One of the best parts of NACADA is the
networking opportunities available through numerous
meetings, socials, and presentations at our conferences,
seminars, and institutes.
Our second class of the NACADA Emerging Leaders
Program was also inducted in Chicago. Though I was not
able to spend time with them as a group, I feel honored that I
have already been invited and accepted into their Facebook
group. If I accomplish nothing else as president, at least I am
going to learn how to use some of this new social networking
technology I keep hearing about! I mean, how cool do I feel
with all my new Facebook “friends”!
I would like to mention two final thanks regarding our
Chicago Conference. Thanks to all the participants who met
on Thursday evening for our first ever NACADA Common
Reading event. Wow! What terrific discussions and insightful
comments from the panel members, participants and
organizers! I highly recommend this exercise to you all at
future NACADA Conferences! Finally, I want to thank fellow
NACADA Board member Terry Musser from Penn State
University. Terry coordinated two first-time processes that
allowed NACADA Leadership to receive feedback from our
members on their perspectives regarding benefits of being
a NACADA member and suggestions for improvements. We
will all benefit from this feedback, and it would not have
happened without Terry’s leadership and dedication.
It is my honor and pleasure to serve as NACADA’s President
this coming year as the Association celebrates its 30th
Anniversary. When I transitioned into academic advising in
1994 at Arizona State University, I had no idea my path in
academic advising would lead to this wonderful opportunity. I
attended my first NACADA Conference in 1996 in Washington
DC, and at the 1998 Conference in San Diego I decided to
2
• It is remarkable that NACADA now has almost 11,000
members, and over 3500 of you attended the largest
NACADA Conference in history in Chicago. While these are
truly outstanding achievements, one of my goals this next
year is to emphasize our ability to remain an association that
connects with every single one of our 11,000 members. No
matter how large we become and how far we spread our
presence across the world, it is imperative that NACADA
remain an association that benefits all members. My goal
is that every single NACADA member feels there is a place
to call home within our Association, and that NACADA
benefits each of you in some way.
• As the country’s economic crisis looms over our lives, we
must continue to find innovative and effective strategies
for NACADA to make academic advising professional
development opportunities available to all members. As
tight budgets and limited travel funds become the norm,
the NACADA Professional Development Committee, Board
of Directors, and Council will begin to identify current and
new professional development opportunities that can be
delivered at lower costs and require little to no travel.
• Each of us must assume ownership, as a member of the
academic advising community, for our own professional
development as an advisor or advising administrator. Our
NACADA membership is a good start, but we each need
to help the NACADA Leadership pinpoint ways NACADA
membership benefits us in our specific campus roles. I
encourage members to contact me at [email protected],
or Vice President Jayne Drake at [email protected],
or the NACADA Executive Director, Charlie Nutt at cnutt@
ksu.edu.
• Our current efforts to infuse research and scholarly inquiry
into the Association are off to a terrific start, and I want
to ensure that NACADA continues its momentum in these
advancements. Peter Hagen, the Research Committee
Chair, is leading efforts to create ways in which NACADA
can assist those who wish to generate research in academic
advising.
• NACADA strives to be an inclusive, diverse association.
Several of our strategic initiatives specifically highlight the
continuation and creation of new efforts to ensure that
NACADA’s membership, leadership, and programming
efforts represent our diversity. Efforts such as the Emerging
From the Executive Office
NACADA 2.0 – Planning
for the Future
Charlie Nutt, NACADA Executive
Director
F
irst, THANK YOU to all
who attended our Annual
Conference in Chicago! What a
great conference! In addition to
the outstanding sessions that many
of you presented and attended,
exciting new activities, like our
Common Reading Discussion, Silent Auction, and Town Hall
meeting, added great opportunities for networking, community
building, and stronger connections to NACADA. I want to
publicly thank everyone who made this year’s event such a
success for the many hours of time and energy they spent
both prior to and during the Conference. This includes special
recognition of the efforts of Nancy Barnes, Rhonda Baker,
and the entire Executive Office staff; the Chicago planning
committee; and all the presenters and participants!
It was exciting to be a part of so many Annual Conference
conversations and meetings focused on the future of NACADA.
Our Board of Directors, Council, Divisions, and Executive
Office staff were all engaged in exciting conversations about
where NACADA must move within the next five, ten, and even
twenty years. In addition to projecting a variety of professional
development opportunities and publications for the future,
the issue of expanding the Association’s use of technology
to support member services, professional development,
and networking opportunities for our members was high on
everyone’s agenda of needs for the future.
With this in mind, I want to take this opportunity to outline
for you the goals for enhanced use of technology by October
2009:
• online new and renewal membership processing;
• online member updates (change of address, institution,
commission/interest group selection);
• online purchasing of NACADA publications, CDs, DVDs,
and products;
• online registration for professional development events,
including conferences, institutes, and webinars;
• interactive blogs and discussions;
• an enhanced conference proposal submission and evaluation
system for both region and annual conferences; and
• password-protected access to membership directory.
In addition, we have goals for enhancing our leaders’ ability to
access data to assist them in their roles, such as:
• access to member information for their region, commission,
interest group, etc.;
• access to immediate Web updates; and
• increased online communication with regions, commissions,
interest groups, etc.
I know this is just a beginning for the leaps that NACADA
must make in the next few years in order to keep up with the
advances in technology that are essential to be an association
on the cutting edge! I look forward to your input into these
ideas and others for the future. Please do not hesitate to
contact me at any time if you have any questions or if you
have additional ideas for the future.
Charlie Nutt, Executive Director
National Academic Advising Association
(785) 532-5717
[email protected]
Published four times annually by the National Academic Advising
Association, located at the address below:
Kansas State University
2323 Anderson Ave., Suite 225
Manhattan, KS 66502
(785) 532-5717, FAX (785) 532-7732
[email protected]
This publication is a NACADA member benefit. Membership information
is available through the Executive Office or at www.nacada.ksu.edu.
NACADA holds exclusive copyright for all Academic Advising Today
articles and features. For a complete copyright statement, including
terms for reproducing material and permissions requests, see
www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/fair-use.htm.
Guidelines for Submission: Articles are generally short and informal.
Original articles and opinion pieces directed to practicing advisors and
advising administrators that have not been printed elsewhere will be
considered for this juried publication. Edited articles are printed on a
space-available basis and should not exceed 1000 words. Guidelines
and deadlines for submission are located on the Web at
www.nacada.ksu.edu/AAT/guidelines.htm.
3
Going Out The Door: The
Internationalization of NACADA
Jeffrey McClellan, Chair, Theory and Philosophy of Advising
Commission
Shannon Lynn Burton, Michigan State University
“It’s a dangerous thing . . . going
out of your door . . . You step into
the road and if you don’t keep
your feet, there is no knowing
where you might be swept off to”
(Tolkien, 2004, p. 74). In the Lord
of the Rings, Tolkien foreshadows
his main character’s adventure with
this wonderful literary declaration.
Enticed by the mystery and wonder
of this statement, the reader is drawn
onto a road filled with adventure
and peril. It is just such a road onto
which NACADA moves as it teeters
on the verge of an international
expansion. Presently, it is unclear
what this expansion will bring;
nonetheless, it will likely involve
both adventure and peril.
In Tolkien’s classic series, many
individuals advise and assist the
protagonist on his journey. As
NACADA moves forward, the
Theory and Philosophy of Advising Commission hopes to
contribute similarly. The commission focuses on expanding
the theoretical and philosophical foundations of academic
advising to better inform the practice of advisors, the scholarship
of the field, and the performance of the organization. Given
the imminent adventure of internationalization, this article
provides some key concepts and suggestions for consideration
during this expansion.
Knight (1994) defined internationalization as the “process of
infusing an international or intercultural dimension into the
teaching, learning, research and service functions of higher
education” (p.7). As NACADA begins this process, leaders and
members must examine their intercultural communication
skills and improve their abilities to skillfully assimilate ideas,
customs, and philosophies from other cultures through
fostering relationships of trust. Such relationships, if nurtured
and managed effectively, increase networking opportunities,
cost advantages, and learning tools. Accordingly, NACADA
should strive to become a Global Learning Organization (GLO)
(Tolbert, et al, 2002). GLOs are characterized by (Tolbert, et
al, 2002, 465):
• individuals who recognize they are responsible for setting
the organizational climate;
• systems and procedures which are constantly examined to
ensure they support diversity, creativity, and global thinking;
• recruitment, promotion, and employee development
processes based on input from a variety of sources and that
are closely monitored to ensure they are consistent with the
organization’s global philosophy; and
4
• maintenance of cultural awareness as a clear and consistent
organizational priority.
Until recently, NACADA operated primarily within the United
States/Canadian cultural contexts; however, to the extent that
NACADA seeks to become a GLO, the culture must shift to
accommodate these priorities. Thus, it is important that we
recognize the value of other frames and worldviews within
NACADA’s internal and external cultures. Becoming aware
of contextual differences like individualism vs. collectivism,
high context vs. low context, and differences in value, power
distance, and uncertainty avoidance (Gudykunst, 2004) will
further strengthen the organization.
Advisors should likewise understand such differences and be
aware of their influence when interacting with international
colleagues and students. Furthermore, they should learn from
and respond to others’ ways of knowing, thereby setting an
example across campus and in the broader community. At the
core, it would be contradictory were advisors to ask students
to become globally competent, without doing so themselves.
Advisors’ actions have far more significant effects in this arena
than they might suspect.
As advisors and leaders focus on creating a climate of
intercultural dexterity, they will realize four key benefits for
NACADA, their institutional communities, and themselves:
• increased success and influence of NACADA, advisors, and
the students they serve within the global marketplace;
• increased mutual understanding and resolution of global
issues;
• expanded knowledge and skills; and, finally,
• increased expansion, growth, and success.
Gerzon (2003) recommended five values that, if activated,
foster global citizenship. These include:
• integrity — a willingness to focus on acting in the best
interest of everyone;
• learning — an openness to acquiring new knowledge;
• dialogue — engaging others in open, authentic interaction;
• bridging — a commitment to overcoming interpersonal/
group barriers through community; and
• synergy — a willingness to work together to address common
problems (p. 15-16).
As individuals enact these values they become “stewards of
the whole” and able “to find common ground in a world of
differences” (p. 16). Some recommended means whereby
NACADA members can implement these global values
include:
• increase awareness of their own paradigms, perspectives
and practices, in essence, their worldview;
• read literature on cultural competence and world events;
• become aware of intercultural issues, domestically
and internationally, especially in higher education and
advising;
• interact and partner with individuals with different
worldviews, again both domestically and internationally, for
publications, presentations, work projects, etc.;
• organize and participate in projects, task forces, commissions,
interest groups etc. focused on issues of a global nature; and
ADVISING ISSUES
In this edition, the issue of Mentoring is addressed from three perspectives. First, members of two NACADA Interest Groups, the
Advising High Achieving Students Interest Group and the Probation/Dismissal/Reinstatement Issues Interest Group, discuss their
thoughts on how mentoring can be beneficial for students. Then, members of our 2007-2009 Emerging Leaders Program Class
explain how mentoring can be beneficial for advisors as well.
Matching Mentors for High Achieving
Students
Marion Schwartz, Co-Chair, Advising High Achieving
Students Interest Group
S
ometimes the advisors of highachieving students feel like
hosts at a great party. They want to
introduce their great old friends—
cutting-edge, enthusiastic faculty—
to their great new friends—eager,
talented students. These students
are just the kind to profit the
most from engagement with a
faculty mentor. But advisors may
be tempted to over-identify with
talented, energetic high-achievers,
and tempted to push them in a particular direction. The ethics
of referring students requires a careful balance between taking
the students’ articulated interests seriously and at the same
time nudging them towards new ways to grow. Therefore,
the referral process has to begin with a careful and sensitive
assessment of what the students really want.
Students may seek a mentor for various reasons. They may
want to meet a faculty member, or have a project they want to
pursue. They might need support for a program requirement,
like a thesis. They might not realize they want a mentor until
the advisor suggests it. Whatever the circumstance, advisors
can lay the foundation for a good match by asking some
probing questions:
• What academic disciplines and skills do they want to
develop?
• If they do have a particular topic they want to investigate,
how do they want to study? Quantitatively? Experimentally?
In the field? In the library?
• What do they already know? Have they mastered some skills
necessary for their goals? What will they need to learn?
• What role do they expect a mentor to play in their lives?
Teacher? Parent? Guide to the institution? Advocate?
• What are their work habits? Will they need close supervision
or can they work alone? Are they detail people? Do they
want the big picture?
• What is their temperament? Do they relish their
independence? Will they be sensitive to criticism?
• Can they talk the language of their discipline? Do they know
how to articulate their goals?
Once advisors know their students’ needs, they can look at
the other side of the equation: who would be a stimulating but
appropriately supportive mentor. Advisors at the Hot Topics
session at the 2008 NACADA Annual Conference in Chicago
shared that they found mentors by consulting departments,
institutional Web sites, personal networks, and centralized
offices of undergraduate research. Experienced advisors may
have a pool of known mentors. For those they have yet to
meet, it’s important to make personal contact before referring
a student. Advisors found that some faculty are reluctant to
take on the extra work of training a new researcher. However,
if the advisor knows the potential protégée well enough to
explain their relevant skills and interests, the faculty member
may be more open to entertain the idea. There may also be
incentives that new faculty haven’t heard about, such as
release time for supervising undergraduate theses, or grants
from inside or outside the institution. But the contact is not
just to recruit a mentor. The advisor also wants to know about
the faculty member’s expectations of students—work load,
job description, period of commitment, and general attitudes.
Such information helps avoid disappointments on either side.
While the advisor can suggest a promising mentor, the
students themselves make the final choice, based on their own
contact. By talking to a potential mentor in person, students
can decide whether they will thrive in the relationship, not
only intellectually but also personally. Together the advisor
and student can develop a list of questions to ask, including,
for example:
• What is your big project, and what smaller tasks need to be
done to achieve it?
• Can you describe your ideal student mentee (or
researcher)?
• If you were my mentor, how often would we meet? What
would I do to prepare for each meeting?
• If you lead a research group, what is the group like? Would
I be part of it?
• What do you expect me to know before I start? How can I
learn it?
• What’s the worst mistake someone ever made while working
with you? What did you do about it?
• Do you give academic credit for this work? Is there a stipend?
Can I go to a conference? Do you think I might publish
something or present a poster?
Not every question will be relevant to every interview, but
even discussing the kind of questions students might ask can
educate them about the culture of the academic enterprise.
Such questions ensure that the student and potential
mentor share not only academic interests but also a similar
understanding of professional expectations.
The same meeting where the questions are hammered out can
include matters of business etiquette if necessary. Some students
continued on page 6
5
track. This article will explore
one program that is successfully
addressing these concerns.
need to be reminded about making appointments, showing
up on time, dressing decently, and speaking respectfully. They
should know how to get to the meeting place. They might
bring documentation of their previous projects. They should
practice articulating what they want the mentor to help them
accomplish.
Student Comments
“I want to say ‘thank you’
because without you to talk to
and keep up with me, I would
have never done as well as I
did. I finished second semester
with a 3.3 and I am totally off
probation!”
Preparation is important, but so is follow up. Students may
need to debrief. If they have more than one option, they may
want to discuss the pros and cons of each. Or they may need
new ideas because none of the first ones worked out. They
may need to change their academic plans in light of their new
project, rearranging their courses or staying for the summer.
Advisors can support the mentor relationship by helping the
student build an appropriate academic context for it.
This matching process takes a great deal of time. However, the
intellectual maturing of students under their faculty mentors
can be breathtaking. My colleague, Elizabeth Jenkins, helps
place English department students in internships both within
and beyond Penn State. She says that the success of her
program depends on shaping an internship to suit the student
rather than making the student fit the internship. This attitude of
putting students first—understanding their interests, strengths,
weaknesses, and eccentricities—seems particularly important
to the unique gifts of high-achieving students. Knowing
them well and placing them with appropriate mentors is an
important contribution advisors can make towards fulfilling
their great potential.
With thanks to Iona Black of the STARS program at Yale, and the
members of the Hot Topics in Advising High Achieving Students
discussion at the 2008 NACADA Annual Conference.
Marion Schwartz
Division of Undergraduate Studies Programs Coordinator
The Pennsylvania State University
[email protected]
A Positive and Supportive Intervention
for Students on Academic Probation:
One-to-One Mentoring
Chris Maroldo, Past Chair, Probation/Dismissal/
Reinstatement Issues Interest Group
Gwen Hobley, Indiana University-Purdue University
Indianapolis
F
inding the right combination
of appropriate intervention and
student participation is a challenge
frequently discussed on the
NACADA
Probation/Dismissal/
Reinstatement
Issues
(PDR)
Interest Group listserv and during
the PDR Interest Group sessions
at NACADA conferences. Many
advisors want to learn how to get
students to participate in programs
that can help them get back on
6
“My first reaction was one of defiance, but then thought,
‘it can’t hurt.’ I had little idea how much it would come
to help me. I don’t have many friends on campus, and
with my mentor, I realized I had someone at school I
could communicate with and help keep me committed
to my goals.”
These comments are typical of students who successfully
complete the STAR (Students Taking Academic Responsibility)
Mentoring Program at IUPUI-University College (uc.iupui.
edu). STAR, a semester-long intensive mentoring program for
first-time academic probation students and reinstated students
in University College, provides weekly structured support as
students work to get back to good academic standing. STAR
Mentors work with students to address challenges, improve
strengths, and connect to campus resources that can help
them reach their academic and career goals. Requirements
include a commitment to attend weekly appointments with
their mentors and to work hard to improve their academics.
Background
STAR was initiated in fall 2005 to provide a different way to help
students get back on track. Many students at IUPUI-University
College are first-generation students who have difficulty
connecting with other students and on-campus resources due
to work schedules, lack of awareness of academic policies,
or not knowing who to ask when they need help navigating a
large urban university. Finding themselves on probation can
be a stressful and embarrassing situation, especially after a
successful high school career.
In University College, students on first-time probation have a
choice—with guidance from their advisors, they pick one of three
interventions: attend four of eight workshops offered during the
semester, attend a four-session Appreciative Inquiry workshop,
or participate in STAR. When students select STAR, a mentor
contacts them via email, text, or phone. After classes begin, the
student and mentor agree to a time and place to meet.
Mentors
A combination of students and professional staff are recruited
from across campus to be STAR mentors. None are paid to be
mentors; volunteers do so as a way to give back to the campus
community and help make a difference in a student’s life.
Currently, there are 65 mentors. Of these, approximately 1520 student mentors receive scholarships as resource mentors
for the IUPUI Bepko Learning Center. They have partnered
with us (at no cost to our program) to mentor up to three STAR
continued on page 7
students each semester in addition to handling their regular
Learning Center responsibilities and attending classes. Ten to
fifteen graduate students and advisors also volunteer to be STAR
mentors; each mentors one to four students. Other mentors
include assistant deans, administrators, faculty, professional
staff, advisors from other departments/schools, and facility
staff who volunteer to mentor from one to three STAR students.
Training is provided each semester and resources, including
a Mentor Manual and STAR Program syllabus, are provided.
Mentors and students meet for 30 minutes, once a week, for
approximately 10 weeks. Helping students set weekly goals
is the primary focus of these meetings; topics discussed
encompass a variety of skill-building activities, including time
management, motivation, and prioritizing.
Use of Technology
To help coordinate communication and support, STAR students
and mentors are placed on a STAR Web page in OnCourse,
an on-campus Web site that includes students’ courses.
OnCourse allows us to send weekly updates and reminders to
both students and mentors and offers another way for students
and mentors to communicate.
Results
• Since fall 2005, STAR has mentored 387 students and retained
281 for a 72% retention rate from one semester to the next.
• Spring 2008 saw the largest increase in STAR participants due
to a new mandatory intervention requirement. 160/561 on
probation signed up for STAR with 103 (64%) participating
(4 or more contacts). 71% of participating students were
retained for fall 2008.
• 83 second semester freshmen signed up and 57 (69%)
participated with 65% of those participating retained. 15/37
(41%) students got off probation (cgpa 2.0 or above).
• 37 upperclassmen on probation for the first-time chose
STAR. 27 (73%) participated with 20/27 (74%) retained;
14/20 (70%) got off probation.
• 40 previously dismissed students signed up voluntarily and
19 (47%) participated, 14/19 (74%) were retained; 4/14
(29%) got off probation.
• A number of STAR students stay in contact with their mentor
beyond the required semester of participation.
University College and is consistent with our overall goal of
helping students achieve at IUPUI.
Chris Maroldo
Coordinator, Academic Success Programs
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
[email protected]
Gwen Hobley, Graduate Assistant Advisor
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
[email protected]
Emerging Leaders
Program: A Year into
the Process
Audrey Jackson, Emerging
Leader, Florida Community
College at Jacksonville
Karen Sullivan-Vance, Mentor,
Western Oregon University
T
he Emerging Leaders Program
(ELP), a new initiative for
NACADA in 2007, was created to prepare members within
the organization for leadership positions by providing them
with mentoring and growth in their professional capacities.
Emerging Leaders and Mentors are required to apply for the
positions. Audrey Jackson, Counselor Coordinator for the
Deerwood Center at Florida Community College at Jacksonville
was chosen as one of the ten Emerging Leaders for the 20072009 Class. Karen Sullivan-Vance, Director of the Academic
Advising and Learning Center at Western Oregon University,
was chosen as one of the initial ten Emerging Leader Mentors.
At the mid-point of their appointed time together, they share
their experiences with us.
The Emerging Leader (Audrey’s Perspective)
Why did I apply for the Emerging Leader Program? I was
looking for an opportunity to work in NACADA. I had an
urgency to work and not just attend sessions and meetings.
continued on page 8
Challenges
Every new program faces challenges that must be addressed
if the program is to continue to develop. One is how to get
students to show up for mentoring. If we can get students
to come for the initial meeting, then they tend to come
back for additional mentor meetings. We encourage strong
communication through email, phone calls, and OnCourse.
Another challenge is that since its inception (fall 2005),
the program has more than tripled in student participants.
Recruiting more student mentors without a way to pay them is
a concern. We plan to search for grants and work with other
campus departments/schools, i.e., Social Work, Education,
Liberal Arts, and Business, to find students in need of practicum
sites. Getting more faculty involved is also a priority.
Conclusion
As STAR has grown and developed into an effective intervention
program, we have been successful at recruiting a diverse group
of mentors. This probation intervention model is working at
7
I wanted to take a giant step into being a part of the progress
that was being made by NACADA. I wanted to be able to say
“I helped accomplish that goal.”
One reason I had such an urgency to get involved was because
I completed my degree and started in higher education late in
my career. I felt behind and had a need to act immediately.
I wanted to have a professional resume with contributions
I made to the profession. My goal was to be connected to
the association and involved in projects at the state, regional,
and national levels. I desired to be able to correspond with
someone who could help me identify and strengthen my weak
areas. I also had a secret desire to write, but I had no clue how
to produce a professional writing sample or who to contact
to get involved in writing. My writing had only gone as far as
class assignments.
I was encouraged to apply for the Emerging Leaders Program
after listening to NACADA Executive Director Charlie Nutt talk
about it. I mustered up the courage to talk with him personally,
and his warm personality drew me in and made me believe
that ELP could be my open door to being involved. I was
ecstatic about becoming one of the first Emerging Leaders.
It was an awesome experience to meet the other 2007-2009
leaders, mentors, and program facilitators at the 2007 Annual
Conference in Baltimore. My first conversation with Karen
was the best indication of how the mentor/leader relationship
would be. Karen’s support is stretching across the nation to
help me grow.
The Role of the Mentor (Karen’s Perspective)
Mentoring always seems to be a fluid experience for me. As
we mentor our students, staff, and colleagues, so too do they
mentor us. In some instances the differences in experiences
can be so marked as to ensure that the flow of information
and support is in one direction, but I believe that individuals
open to the mentoring process will find that they can learn
from those they mentor. The act of mentoring causes us to stop
and take stock of our own values, paths chosen, and what we
still have to learn.
I chose to apply to the Emerging Leaders Program as a
Mentor to give back. I have been fortunate enough to have
numerous mentors in my life who have positively impacted
my professional development. Currently, I have mentors within
my peers, a cadre of colleagues I aspire to be like. At different
stages they have advised, pushed, encouraged, challenged,
and supported my professional growth.
After applying to the ELP, I was chosen as a Mentor. At the
NACADA Annual Conference in Baltimore, the Emerging
Leaders and Mentors got to meet each other, spend time
talking, and find out about each others’ areas of interest. In
something akin to speed dating, we tried to ascertain as much
as we could in a short time. On the second day, we were
paired with our Emerging Leaders. Audrey Jackson and I had
the chance to sit down, away from the noise, and just talk.
Seriously, NACADA could not have gotten a pairing that was
physically further apart, as Audrey resides in Florida and I am
in Oregon. Even so, we connected.
The Process
How did we begin the leadership/mentoring process without
a road map? Quite honestly, it was a little daunting. For us, as
part of the inaugural class, we started to hack a path through
the woods.
• Karen: Audrey shared her resume so that I could see what
she had done and help her identify key interest areas.
• Audrey: Karen not only recognized my strengths and areas
of interests, she helped me organize my resume so it looked
ordered and professional. Now, my resume made sense! I
could see how my career had evolved and identify directions
for future growth.
• Karen: The next step was for Audrey to verbalize her areas
of greatest interest. In identifying key areas, we could focus
our energies on them, keeping the process manageable.
At the same time, it was important to look for bigger goals
Audrey identified as important, such as getting involved in
her region and professional writing. We discussed starting
small, with a book review for the NACADA Journal. At
approximately 600 words, this was a task that Audrey felt
she could accomplish and it could serve as a building block
to the next writing project which could be an article for the
NACADA Clearinghouse. A mistake many people make is to
take on too big a project and then fail because it becomes
overwhelming. By breaking goals into smaller steps, we can
scaffold the experiences. Growth comes from this process.
Few of us will go out and write a novel, but as an aspiring
writer, it is important to start the process small and build on
it with subsequent challenges. A book review is the first step
to an article. An article is the next step towards a chapter in
a book and so on.
• Audrey: Karen supported my endeavors by being encouraging
and resourceful. She had presented at several conferences
and shared her experiences of developing and presenting
a topic with me. With her encouragement, I submitted
two proposals to my Regional Conference, and they were
accepted. I presented with my Dean of Student Services on
“Carrots or Sticks: Focusing on Options and Opportunities for
Student Success When Working with Suspension Students”
and “Advising Teamwork: Unmasking the Behind the Scenes
Operations to Increase Efficiency.” The experience was
successful and proved that I had information that others
wanted to hear! I also am testing the writing waters by
writing a book review for the NACADA Journal.
Goals for Second Year
Audrey identified that during her second year in the program she
would like to be instrumental in bringing a drive-in conference
to her state. She is currently working with her Region Chair to
start the process of building a conference. This article is a joint
writing project between us and another opportunity for Audrey
to scaffold experiences into professional development. Audrey
is also beginning to explore doctoral programs.
Conclusion
Often we look at professional development in terms of adding
lines to the resume. The reality, though, is that experiences
lead to our growth as professionals. By challenging ourselves
8
Grounding the Helicopters: Moving
Toward Proactive Partnering for Student
Success
Darren Francis, NACADA Emerging Leader, Simon Fraser
University
Nicholas Johnson, University of the Fraser Valley
P
arental
involvement
with
millennial students has become
a “hot topic” for post-secondary
professionals at every level. As
Mark Taylor (2006) notes in his
article, Helicopters, Snowplows
and Bulldozers: Managing Students
Parents, “Mention parents to
administrators, staff, or faculty at
most colleges today, and you will
hear a litany of complaints about
monitoring, interference, and
downright intrusion in their work
with students. From admission
and housing through course
selection, to employment and
student organization involvement,
parents are inserting and asserting
themselves like never before”
(2006, Taylor).
As advisors, we have all had the
experience of working with a
student who has had at least one parent involved in their postsecondary decisions. From which school to attend, program
to major in, courses to select, etc., parents are at the very
least influencing students’ decisions, if not fully directing
the educational future of their sons and daughters. As a
result of their strong influence and the perceived “hovering”
nature of their interactions with university professionals, the
term “helicopter parent” was coined to reflect a parent’s
“meddlesome” involvement within the advisor/advisee
relationship. Other terms have since been introduced to
describe these involved parents, including the Stealth Bomber,
Bulldozer, Snow Plow, and others. However, upon reflection, is
this perceived parental meddling an actual problem and does
a parent negatively impact the advisor/advisee relationship?
In the May 22, 2006 issue of Newsweek, Barbara Kantrowitz
and Peg Tyre point out that the efforts of so-called “helicopter
parents” have paid off as more students than ever before are
entering post-secondary education. Combined with the fact
that teen pregnancy rates, crime, and drug abuse are all down
(2006, Kantrowitz and Tyre), there is an indication that our
perception of “helicopter parents” needs to change.
to continue his or her involvement as the son or daughter
embarks on the journey of post-secondary education. Better
understanding the K-12 school environment to which students
and parents are conditioned can assist advisors in utilizing
a strong student/parent relationship. For example, in our
personal experiences seeing students, we have never had a
student with strong parental support miss an appointment or
fail to understand the significance of the information they were
gathering. Obviously, students do need to be taught to make
their own decisions and become independent, but it is clear
that those skills have not been developed during the students’
time in the secondary school system, and as advisors and
professional educators we must move beyond the pejorative
stereotyping of using a term like “helicopter parent” and adapt
our interactions to better prepare students and parents for life
during and after university.
Validating the Student/Parent Relationship
When we were first trained as advisors, many of us were taught
not to, under any circumstance, empower a parent’s right to
be in an advising appointment with their son or daughter. We
were told to discourage a parent from attending the advising
appointment with their student, and if not possible to exclude
the parent from the appointment, then to not respond to
parents’ questions other than reiterating that the student was
the individual with the appointment. At some institutions,
parents were outright banned from attending student advising
appointments. As one would expect, this only furthered
parents’ resolve to be involved, as they felt their concerns
were not being validated, and their exclusion generated much
unnecessary concern. As we have gained more experience and
better understood parents’ motivation, we have learned how
to better manage student appointments and that it is better not
only to acknowledge parents but to embrace their attendance,
as it allows us to alleviate parental concerns and to work
with both the student and parent to facilitate the transition of
educational stewardship from the parent to the student.
Setting Boundaries
In his recent article “When Employees Bring Mom and Dad to
Work,” Anthony Balderrama (2008) illuminates how the strong
relationship between parents and children without the proper
boundaries can become extremely invasive and be a detriment
to the long-term development of the child (or student), having
the exact opposite effect of the parent’s intent. Knowing this,
it is our responsibility as advisors to better prepare not only
students for success outside of the classroom, but to prepare
parents with how they can best help their sons or daughters
succeed. Developing a parent-only orientation is a great
way to establish boundaries and set the “do’s and don’ts” of
parental involvement. Showing up on the first day of classes
is a good example of what a parent should not do and can be
shared at a parent-only orientation in a humorous anecdotal
story, which can be the impetus for providing parents with
appropriate university etiquette, highlighting the differences
between university and high school.
It is important to remember that students with their parents’
support are entering post-secondary education from a high
school environment which not only encouraged additional
parental involvement, but in some cases mandated it because
research demonstrated that the more parental involvement,
the more successful students became in high school.
Subsequently, it is only natural that a parent would expect
At the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, a
relatively young institution (est. 1974), a parent-only orientation
event has recently been introduced, with great response and
9
Undecided/Exploratory Students and
Persistence
David Spight, Past Chair, Undecided and Exploratory
Students Commission
T
here is a perception within
higher education that students
who start college without a
declared major are less likely to
persist. Early literature described
undecided students as an at-risk
population that needed special
attention in order to be retained.
Recent research argues otherwise.
Below is a brief summary of the
literature related to persistence and
undecided/exploratory students.
Much of the initial research was not directly aimed at examining
undecided students, but rather sought to determine reasons for
student attrition. According to Noel (1985), there are seven
forms of attrition, with academic boredom and uncertainty
of major as types of attrition specifically associated with
undecided students. Noel believes that students become bored
because they lack motivation. He attributes this academic
boredom to undecided students, describing it as reflective
of students without clear goals. Noel (1985) also claims
that, “uncertainty about what to study is the most frequent
reason talented students give for dropping out of college” (p.
12). Anderson (1985) agrees, suggesting that uncertainty and
indecision about career plans is a negative personal barrier
to persistence for undecided students. Typical undecided
students, Anderson feels, lack goals and direction, which is
a reason why these students leave college. Sprandel (1985)
contends that a major reason why students drop out is the
inability to succeed academically. One reason for academic
failure for vocationally and educationally uncertain students,
Sprandel believes, is that they “lack a real reason for going to
school” (p. 303).
Foote (1980) felt other factors, however, were more likely to
affect persistence than the initial choice of major. Impacting
student attrition at a higher rate than major choice were the
pre-college academic aptitude and achievement of students.
“High school percentile rank and ACT entrance test scores
appeared to be more related to persistence in college than
major designation” (p. 33). Students with higher entrance exam
scores were more likely to progress successfully in college.
Foote did also find that “determined” students remained in
college at a statistically higher rate than “undetermined”
students.
As with most research about undecided students, there is little
agreement. Some researchers recognize that determining the
cause of attrition is problematic, as undecided students do
not make up a homogenous group. Gordon (1985) expresses,
“some of the general factors identified as causing attrition have
also been used to describe the undecided students population”
(p. 116), but admits, “it is difficult if not dangerous to make
generalizations” (p. 117). Anderson (1985) concedes “there
10
is seldom a single cause for any human behavior; rather the
causes are multiple and interrelated” (p. 50-52).
Some scholars have determined academically uncertain
students are not more likely to leave college. Lewallen (1993)
believes that being vocationally undecided does not mean
a student does not want to graduate. Additionally, Graunke,
Woosley, and Helms (2006) found that the “commitment to a
specific major or career is not related to degree completion”
(p.17). Lewallen (1993) explains that the previous studies
suggesting that undecided students are more likely to drop
out “have confused the construct of commitment to college
completion with educational and career choice” (p. 103).
Lewallen (1992) claims “by far, the most critical methodological
problem” (p. 32) is reflected in the design of the research on
student persistence. The design used in many studies is “an
‘income-outcome’ assessment approach to researching the
problem” (p. 32) with the input variable being undecided and
persistence/attrition as the outcome variable. This approach,
unfortunately, does not consider other factors such as those
within college student experiences, campus environment, or
student involvement.
Lewallen (1992) argues that the misperception that undecided
students are at higher risk of attrition has been reinforced
by frequent citation of Beal and Noel (1980), in which they
researched information from staff and administrators from
hundreds of colleges and universities. Beal and Noel explain:
The survey instrument itself was designed to solicit
information on institutional retention data regarding
the degree to which analysis of attrition/retention had
taken place on the campus, on the positive and negative
characteristics of institutions that might relate to attrition
or retention, and on how campuses were organized for
retention efforts, and on assessment of the problem area
encountered by institutions engaged in retention efforts
(Beal and Noel, 1980, p. 15-16)
Beal and Noel (1980) found in their results what they felt
were the “most important factors in student retention … on
a scale of one (low) to five (high)” (p. 43). They believe there
are four factors related to why students might be less likely to
persist. Limited educational aspirations and indecision about
major/career goal, the second and third factors, support the
contention that undecided students are more attrition-prone.
Lewallen (1992) counters that there are some problems with
Beal and Noel’s (1980) findings, as their results “were not
empirically derived from studying students, but were the
result of respondents’ opinions, perceptions, and judgments”
(p. 29-30). As Lewallen (1992) describes, most research on
undecided student persistence and attrition is flawed:
The literature which examines undecided student
persistence/attrition is not very plentiful. Some of these
studies did not directly examine undecided students,
but rather examined persistence/attrition in general. It
is extremely difficult to make generalizations from this
research and to conclude that undecided students are
In Our Own Best Interest: A (Brief) History
of Tribal Colleges in America
Les Ridingin, Chair, Native American and Tribal Colleges
Interest Group
Robert Longwell-Grice, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Adrienne Thunder, University of Wisconsin-Madison
N
ative Americans have attended
college in the United States
since colonial times. Unfortunately,
the experience of most Native
students at predominantly White
institutions has not been entirely
positive (Boyer, 1997). Although
images of uneducated, needy
Indians were used by educators
to increase giving to colleges,
only a small percentage of the
funds collected actually went
toward the education of Native
Americans (Huff, 1997, Wright,
1995). Instead, these funds often
were used to further the schools’
economic and political interests,
which often included adding to the
endowment.
As westward expansion threatened Native land, colleges became
acculturation agents, using education of Native Americans for assimilation into the predominant culture.
Indians were not, understandably,
eager to accept these offers of
education. The Seneca Chief Red
Jacket, commenting upon these
efforts, said, “Instead of producing that happy effect which you so
long promised us, its introduction
so far has rendered us uncomforted
and miserable. You have taken a
number of our young men to your schools. You have educated
them and taught them your religion. They have returned to
their kindred and color neither white men nor Indians. The
arts they have learned are incompatible with the chase and ill
adapted to our customs. They have been taught that which is
useless to us” (Velie, 1979).
Although times have clearly changed over the past two hundred
plus years Native Americans have attended U.S. colleges
and universities, the latest data (2002) shows that American
Indians represent “less than 1 percent of all students enrolled
in college,” and they earned “0.7 percent of all associates,
bachelors, and advanced degrees conferred that year” (U.S.
Department of Education, as cited by Guillory and Wolverton,
2008). Two major barriers still remain for Native Americans:
the struggle to get into college and, if admitted, the struggle
to successfully complete a degree. The desire to remove these
barriers was behind the start of the Tribal College movement.
Bennett and Okinaka (1990) connect an “inhospitable
climate” on most predominantly White campuses to the low
matriculation and high dropout rate of Native Americans on
these same campuses. Furthermore, the diversity of heritage
and customs within the Native population is often ignored
and rarely acknowledged (Longwell-Grice and LongwellGrice, 2003). Inaccurate, exaggerated and homogenized
representations of the history and culture of American
Indians continue to be written by scholars who never visited
Indian country (Mihesuah, 2004). When combined with the
developmental issues that typical students encounter during
their initial college years, it is understandable why American
Indians sought other ways to obtain a college degree.
According to Crum (1989), the idea for Indian colleges has
been around since 1911, but Crum (2007) argues that three
major developments of the 1960s lead to the development of
the Tribal College consortium. These developments were the:
• rise of Indian activism in the 1960s,
• socioeconomic reforms of the Great Society, and
• notion of Indian self-determination, which surfaced in the
1960s and became policy in the 1970s.
Crum (2007) noted that tribal people of the 1960s were fully
aware that the dominant society had never encouraged higher
education for the vast majority of Native Americans. In order
to carry out self-determination, Native Americans sought
to create Native run colleges. The American Indian Higher
Education Consortium (AIHEC, 2008) asserts that Tribal
Colleges were created “in response to the higher education
needs of American Indians and generally serve geographically
isolated populations that have no other means of accessing
education beyond the high school level” (¶ 2).
The Navajo Community College, renamed Dine College in
1997, was established in July 1968, and was the first Indiancontrolled Tribal College built on an Indian reservation (Crum,
2007). Through steady growth, the number of Tribal Colleges
has increased to 39, and the number of students served now
numbers over 17,000 (AIHEC, 2008). As dramatic as this
success appears, however, Tribal Colleges continue to struggle
due to their limited funding, poor facilities, and geographical
isolation.
Shanley (2003) pointed out that, unlike traditional community
colleges, Tribal Colleges cannot rely on taxation revenue from
the community due to the largely impoverished areas they
serve. Initially, Tribal Colleges were funded under the Tribally
Controlled College or University Act. However, to qualify
for federal funding, the Tribal College must have satisfied an
eligibility study that many Tribal College leaders believed to be
purposely difficult to limit funding (Shanley, 2003). Colleges
that did receive funding were still under the auspices of the
federal government, reinforcing hegemonic relationships.
Tribal College leaders began to search for alternate funding
strategies.
New, innovative funding strategies combined with limited,
often painful, funding decisions became the new funding
formula (Benham, 2003). Fortunately, as Tribal Colleges gain
11
If We Only Knew Then: Observations on
Life as an Advising Administrator
Jayne Drake, NACADA Vice-President
W
e come at this business
of
being
Advising
Administrators from any number
of backgrounds and levels of
preparation. Some of us worked our
way up the ranks from professional
advisors to assistant or associate
directors; some of us were
faculty members with advising
responsibilities who eventually
moved into directorships or
deanships; others of us were already academic administrators—
Assistant, Associate, or Vice Deans—who were compelled to
“fix” the center in our care. No matter what our titles, areas of
responsibility, level of experience, or how we got there, chances
are we were pretty well naïve about the challenges ahead of
us. Sure, we all worked with students, and we understood that
we are in the business of ensuring their success—both within
and beyond the academy. We probably read the books on
student development theory, leadership skills, organizational
structures, motivation theory, and even the one on not sweating
the small stuff. Yet chances are that no amount of books (selfhelp and otherwise) and no amount of years under our belts in
working with students could have prepared us for the realities
of life in the director’s or dean’s chair.
We walked in the door eyes shining with the promise of grand
transformations, new initiatives undertaken, student services
revamped, data collection and recordkeeping processes
refined, professional development opportunities expanded,
and a staff that lives in harmony and good will. What
happened? It didn’t take long for our best laid intentions of
transforming academic advising to be supplanted by realities,
exigencies, and constraints.
The advising administrator’s life is one of long hours,
lunches wolfed down at the desk, countless questions from
advisors, phones jangling, students with issues, performance
development plans, reports to write, staff to train, budget
shortfalls—deans and provosts want it when?—all in a
day’s work. I offer the following observations directly to
new administrators who have stepped into the fray with
heavy metal body armor adjusted, swords drawn, and olive
branches waving.
Observation 1: You assumed that by sheer force of will
and grinding hours you could single-handedly transform
academic advising. This assumption is your first mistake.
Observation 2: Not everyone thinks your plans are as brilliant
as you think they are. If you want to effect change, you have
to mount your most compelling arguments, gather the most
thorough data to underpin your plans, develop carefully
crafted proposals, present your plans to your staff and
relevant administrators, and then. . . . wait. (In some matters,
especially those requiring a major institutional culture shift,
change may not happen in your lifetime.)
Observation 3: You must, nevertheless, embrace change.
Even if, for some remote reason, you signed on to your
position to maintain the status quo, the fact is that—hide
from it as you might—change finds you. Allow yourself to be
swept along and transformed by it.
Observation 4: The ground beneath the feet of advising
administrators is always moving, shifting, and rattling the
walls. You have to be steady enough to maintain equilibrium
through the vagaries of your work day. No matter what plans
you may have as you walk in the door, they are out the
window within ten minutes of sitting at your desk.
Observation 5: Faculty governance is a wonderful thing.
The very moment you, the staff, and students manage to get
the curriculum straight—the majors, minors, and program
requirements—faculty tweak them, and, in extreme cases,
throw them out altogether. Refer to Observation 4.
Observation 6: A fire extinguisher is your best fashion
forward accessory. Wear it daily, ideally attached to your
belt for easy accessibility. You will need it to snuff out fires
of all descriptions and in all corners of your center. In fact,
you may also want to keep a supply of extinguishers handy
in the bottom drawer of your desk since annoying moments
of spontaneous combustion can occur at any moment and
disrupt the general hum.
Observation 7: Always wear your belt loose because a state
legislator or college president or provost may demand that
you tighten it. Your operating budget will frequently be
vulnerable to such demands, so you will need to make sure
you are prepared to adjust.
Observation 8: Avoid wearing rose-colored glasses. Most
likely they will not match your outfit, and they most assuredly
will distort the reality around you, the most pernicious of
which is office intrigue. Do not allow yourself to be sucked
into it or to be lulled into believing that you have the most
compatible staff this side of Oz.
Observation 9: Always play by the institutional work rules.
Get to know them and apply them equitably across the board.
Parents learn early on to treat all of their children the same
without favoritism or preferential treatment. Anything less
than this and you run the risk of your staff sinking into division,
discord, and disarray. Opportunities for harmony evaporate
because you’re too busy using your fire extinguisher to put
out fires related to personnel issues. Refer to Observation 6.
Observation 10: “No” is not a four-letter word, and, although
others may dispute this fact, especially students, you simply
must learn to say it with conviction and sincerity. You may
12
True Adventures of a Master Faculty
Advisor
Cynthia A. Walker and Tamra Ortgies Young, Georgia
Perimeter College
Editor’s Note: This article was developed from a presentation
Cynthia and Tamra gave at the NACADA Spring 2008 Region
IV Conference in Mobile, Alabama.
G
eorgia Perimeter College
(GPC) is a two-year unit of
the University System of Georgia.
GPC serves 23,000 students
through four traditional campuses,
a site campus, and a new on-line
campus in the metropolitan Atlanta
area. While most GPC programs
have been designed to transfer
students seamlessly to the state’s
four-year public institutions, GPC
also has a number of top notch
career programs in several fields
including nursing and dental
hygiene. The geographic spread
between GPC campuses is as wide
as 60 miles in the tough Atlanta
transportation environment.
Direct intervention to increase
the rates of graduation, retention
and transfer within the University
System of Georgia institutions has
been mandated by the system’s Board of Regents. In addition,
advisor training programs have been required. How then
should GPC offer uniform and effective advising services to
all students in such varied locations?
The GPC institutional response to this dilemma was to
design a Cohort Advising Program where all full-time faculty
members are required to advise students in the first-time,
full-time entering freshman cohort. The program included
a user-friendly student information system interface called
eSAMs and a Web-based database that can take data from ten
different screens and place it in a single page, user-friendly,
format for faculty use while interacting with advisees.
Why Faculty Advisors? GPC has been responding to data
that shows that faculty interaction with students can have a
positive impact on their graduation, retention, and transfer
rates. Students bond with faculty during the 16-week
semester. Efforts are made to assign advisees to a faculty
member teaching one of their fall term classes.
In January 2007, the Master Faculty Advisor Program was
implemented. Each campus, depending on size, was
assigned one to three Master Faculty Advisors to develop
training programs including a Web site. These Master Faculty
Advisors provide campus and college-wide leadership
on advising issues. The advantages of the Master Faculty
Advisors Program include local campus access to training
and troubleshooting, a more favorable response from faculty
as they are trained and assisted by peers with similar class
loads and responsibilities, and the opportunity for Master
Advisors to lead and serve the college on a number of
college-wide committees.
How has this new venture fared? With change always comes
conflict as people with varying visions compete for leaders’
attention for their agendas. At times, particularly in the
first phase, the Master Faculty Advisors spent an inordinate
amount of time conducting eSAMS and other technology
workshops. There were also times when it seemed the
Master Advisors represented the administration in the eyes
of faculty not comfortable with change. Slowly, because the
Master Faculty Advisors have assisted their peers and moved
the training vehicle forward, more faculty are embracing the
idea that faculty advising is here to stay.
Challenges to program start-up were of the expected
nature. Some faculty did not actively advise before the new
program and did not accept advising as part of their job
responsibilities. These faculty were still focused on a time
when faculty advising was neither required nor rewarded. In
addition, the mandate for faculty participation came before
the training mechanisms were fully developed. Some faculty
wanted to advise but felt that their skill levels were such that
it might lead to mistakes that would cause harm to student
outcomes. Other faculty members did not feel comfortable
advising outside their own disciplines. These issues have been
largely addressed with workshops, Web resources, and quick
reference guides. A comprehensive training program was
implemented in fall 2008 to help build the confidence and
competency level of faculty engaged in advising activities
critical to the college’s mission to promote student success.
Training modules have emphasized:
• helping faculty learn how to connect with their advisees
as mentors,
• learning how to make effective referrals to internal student
services,
• teaching faculty institutional policies and procedures,
• helping students successfully navigate institutional
bureaucracy, and
• teaching skills that will help students be successful in
college, e.g., time management and effective study skills.
Overall, the message has been that advising and teaching go
hand-in-hand. Since teaching is faculty’s primary focus, it is
appropriate to approach this new responsibility in a language
that speaks to faculty culture. Advising is Teaching!
Institutional support has been evident in program funding
and the inclusion of Master Faculty Advisors in leadership
13
Embracing Life’s Unexpected Journeys
Donna E. Ekal, The University of Texas at El Paso
A
s a big believer in planning
ahead, I love crossing things
off lists, inserting those little check
boxes in a document, and creating
tables or charts of programs and
policies. But – and this is an
important but – my delight in
planning and organizing must be
balanced by being open to what
life puts in my path.
Now, when I was first asked to co-chair this Task Force, I was
certainly delighted to be acknowledged for the work at the
Medical Professions Institute, but a little worried that I did not
know enough about the field of academic advising to lead this
effort. So, I did what we all do when we need to see what’s
out there – I turned to Google. It didn’t take long for Google
to lead me to NACADA, and I felt like I had found the Mother
Lode. My first action was to sign up for the appropriately
timed NACADA 2007 Summer Institute held in Salt Lake City.
Charlie Nutt was my small group facilitator and the rest, as
they say, is history.
While I was planning and
organizing my academic career, life unexpectedly tossed
academic advising in my path, and I haven’t looked back
since. As the Program Coordinator of the Medical Professions
Institute at the University of Texas at El Paso, academic
advising was certainly a piece of my duties. It was a piece that
I did well, enjoyed, and through which we were able to create
some successes in our program. In fact, due in large part to
improved advising methods, we were able to double the
number of UTEP students who were accepted to post graduate
medical professions (medical, dental, and vet) schools in just
one year.
Our improved advising program consisted of:
1. providing complete, consistent information spread across
the conceptual, informational, and relational frameworks;
2. creating hands on programming for career enhancing skills
such as writing a personal statement and interviewing; and
3. working with students to enhance their out of classroom
experiences through relevant work, volunteering,
shadowing, and mentoring with professionals in their fields
of interest.
We celebrated student successes, worked through difficult
times, and became a strong and focused group with a sense of
purpose. The Medical Professions Institute office became the
champion for these students, and they reveled in the feeling
of having an advocate on campus who was taking care of and
telling people about them.
UTEP’s leaders are always looking for ways to improve the
undergraduate experience. Our vision of access and excellence
is more than just a link on our Web page; it is absolutely a
guide for constant tinkering. They noticed our success and gave
me the chance to co-chair an Advising Task Force to examine
the state of academic advising on campus and identify areas
where we could improve. My year co-chairing the Advising
Task Force was tremendous. I was able to meet and work with
a wide variety of people on campus – faculty, staff, students,
and administrators – who all had stories to tell about advising.
We organized conferences, held Task Force meetings, divided
into subcommittees, sent out tons of e-mails, met with
student focus groups, wrote reports, held a final retreat, and
came up with a product that included the voices of over 300
stakeholders across campus. That product, our Advising Task
Force final report, became the framework of our Action Plan
to revitalize academic advising on our campus.
14
NACADA opened my eyes to the network of academic
advising resources available and provided me the opportunity
to develop an Action Plan (complete with a chart and check off
boxes) for leading the Advising Task Force. It was a tremendous
preparation for the year and served us well.
During that working year, I was able to attend the NACADA
Administrators and Assessment Institutes in San Diego.
Again, these were experiences where I learned a great deal
about academic advising, extended my resource base, and
came home with a plethora of ideas to incorporate into our
academic advising structure. Toward the end of our year with
the Advising Task Force, I was invited to accept a new position
within the university as Associate Provost of Undergraduate
Studies. I know that there were several factors that came
together at the right time for this opportunity to happen; but I
also know that academic advising was one of them.
I am fortunate to work at a university that values academic
advising as a key component of student success and has put
energy and resources into creating an advising environment
that is positive, coordinated, and all about the student. I am
also fortunate to have found NACADA, which has given me
opportunities to learn about academic advising in a way
that has translated into a better advising environment for our
students as well as an incredibly satisfying component of my
career for which I can plan, make lists, and coordinate to my
heart’s content.
Donna E. Ekal
Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies
The University of Texas at El Paso
[email protected]
Optimizing the NACADA Webcast
Experience
Karen Thurmond, Webinar Advisory Board Chair
Melissa Lantta, Webinar Advisory Board member
N
ACADA Webcasts are popular
with NACADA members.
Academic advisors have fun
when they gather, and we often
find great resources in discussing
issues and ideas with each other.
The Webinar Advisory Board has
been discussing how we have
“consumed” Webinars. Here are
some examples of how campuses
are organizing to make the most of
Webinar participation.
The University of WisconsinOshkosh advising center became
very interested in the Webinar
series in Fall 2007. At first, our
office did not set expectations for
the Webinars. Advisors did not
share what they learned with their
colleagues, and the experience was
clearly not being maximized. In
order to make the Webinars more
successful, our professional workgroup assigned an advisor to
facilitate each session. The role of the facilitator consisted of
reading the objectives of the Webinar and inviting not only
the advisors from our office but those individuals around
campus who would benefit from the Webinar (i.e. faculty
advisors, graduate students, administrators). Participants were
asked to save an extra hour of their time after the Webinar
to address discussion questions the facilitator had created.
These Webinars will become a part of the training process for
faculty advisors to obtain their Master Advisor certification.
The environment surrounding the Webinars has changed;
there is a spirit of learning, collaboration, and enjoyment as
the participants enhance their professional development.
The University of Memphis began participating in Webinars at
the very beginning. Each Webinar attracts a different group of
advisors. In general, the Webinars have been an opportunity
for UofM advisors to gather informally and learn together. For
each Webinar, snacks and water are provided, and we draw
for door prizes (usually a NACADA publication). Over time
we learned that we wanted to engage discussion after the
Webinar, so we boldly began “turning off” the sound when
the Webinar formal presentation ended to begin our own
discussion. Various task forces and work teams have emerged
from these discussions.
Two significant developments at UofM have been highlights
of our involvement with Webinars. First, we invited our
community college advisor partners to attend with us. We
had just initiated an “in residence” advising presence at the
community college. Once a week, a UofM advisor is available
by appointment at the community college campus. This
initiative responded to an interest in “seamless transfer” in
our state and introduced advisors at both community college
and university campus to new colleagues. Getting together for
Webinars has enhanced relationships and made for smoother
communication between campuses. Second, we have been
able to springboard initiatives from Webinar content. Jayne
Drake’s Webinar, Components of a Successful Faculty Advising
Program: Institutional Commitment, Professional Development,
Incentives, and Recognition, attracted our largest group of
faculty to date. Discussion following Jayne’s presentation was
lively. The faculty members present were excited about the
NACADA Seminar, Effectively Engaging Faculty in Academic
Advising, which was scheduled to take place during the next
summer in Portsmouth, VA. In subsequent discussions, the
faculty requested that representatives be funded to attend the
NACADA WEBCASTS – Spring 2009
Is the high cost of travel keeping you and your advising
staff close to home? Plan ahead for on-campus, online
professional development!
WEBINAR: February 4, 2009 - Success with Parent
Education: Dialoguing with the New Student and their
Parents at the Collegiate Level
Presenter: “Best of Region 7” winner Brian Nossaman
(University of Oklahoma)
Registration deadline is January 23
Learn More at www.nacada.ksu.edu/Webinars/W22.htm
WEBINAR: February 27, 2009 - DIFS Makes the
Difference in Student Motivation: Both Skill and Will
are Needed for Student Success, a follow-up to DW12
Advisors Help Students SOAR to Academic Success:
Selection, Organization, Association, and Regulation
Learning Strategies are the Keys
Presenter: Ken Kiewra (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Registration deadline is February 17
WEBINAR: March 26, 2009 - Making the Grade: What
Advisors and Administrators Need to Know to Better
Assist Students with Disabilities
Presenter: Marilyn Kaff (Kansas State University)
Registration deadline is March 17
WORKINAR (new format for groups): April 23, 2009
- Career Advising in Action: Try It and Apply It, a
follow-up to DW15 Making Career Advising Integral to
Academic Advising
Presenters: Joanne Damminger and Betsy McCallaWriggins (Rowan University)
Registration deadline is April 14
Participation for each event is limited by our Service
Provider, so don’t miss your chance - Register at https://
nacada.ome.ksu.edu/ concurrently for any three
Webinars and save $10 off each!
15
2009 NACADA LEADERSHIP ELECTION INFORMATION
In early February 2009, the online voting system for the 2009 Leadership elections will become available to NACADA members.
Members will receive their login and password information via e-mail at that time (this information will be mailed only to those
members without e-mail access). You are strongly encouraged to participate in the election of your NACADA Leadership by
submitting your ballot electronically by the deadline date specified in the voting information.
Listed below are those leadership positions to be elected in 2009. The newly elected leaders will take office in October 2009
immediately following the Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Election and voting information, including the complete
list of candidates and platform statements, can be found at www.nacada.ksu.edu/Election/index.htm. Each candidate’s platform
statement and photo are linked to her or his name on the candidate list for easy reference. Before casting your votes, you are
strongly encouraged to review the platforms for all candidates for each position. These platform statements can also be accessed
during voting by clicking on the links provided in each section of the ballot next to the candidate’s name, which will open in a
separate window for your convenience.
If you have questions about the election in general or the online voting system once it becomes available, contact the NACADA
Executive Office at [email protected] or call (785) 532-5717.
The leadership positions being elected during the 2009 elections include the following:
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
• President (term — October 2009-October 2010)
• Vice President (term — October 2009-October 2010)
• Board of Directors (3 Positions, 3-year term each — October 2009-October 2012)
REGION CHAIRS (term — October 2009-October 2011):
• Region 1 - Northeast [CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT, Quebec, Atlantic Provinces]
• Region 3 - Mid-South [KY, NC, SC, TN, WV]
• Region 5 - Great Lakes [IL, IN, MI, OH, WI, Ontario]
• Region 7 - South Central [AR, KS, LA, MO, OK, TX]
• Region 9 - Pacific [CA, HI, NV]
COMMISSION CHAIRS (term — October 2009-October 2011):
• Advising Adult Learners
• Advising Business Majors
• Advising Education Majors
• Advising Graduate & Professional Students
• Advising Student Athletes
• Advisor Training & Development
• ESL and International Student Advising
• Liberal Arts Advisors
• Technology in Advising
• Theory & Philosophy of Advising
• Two-Year Colleges
COMMISSION CHAIRS (term — October 2009-October 2010):
• Distance Education Advising (recently granted commission status)
• Peer Advising & Mentoring (recently granted commission status)
The following positions will be elected by those specific members who will serve under these leaders.
DIVISION REPRESENTATIVES:
• Commission & Interest Group Division Representative* (term — October 2009-October 2011)
COMMITTEE CHAIRS** (term — October 2009-October 2011):
• Awards
• Diversity
• Member Career Services
• Professional Development
* Elected only by those Commission Chairs who will be serving under the leadership of this individual.
** Elected only by the specific Committee members who will be serving under the leadership of these individuals.
16
It takes but one SPARK to ignite the flame for
an idea. Does your campus have an unusual or
exceptional process or program that could spark an idea on
another campus? If so, tell us about it in 350 words or less.
Send your ‘Sparkler’ to [email protected].
SPARKLERs for this edition come to us from Georgia Highlands
College and Fitchburg State College.
Georgia Highlands College is a
two-year unit of the University
System of Georgia with multiple
instructional sites. Laura Ralston
tells us that Georgia Highlands
employs a decentralized model
of academic advising and does
not currently assign students
to a specific academic advisor;
however, students are strongly
encouraged to meet with an
academic advisor prior to
registration. “As enrollment increases and resources decrease,”
Laura says, we have had “to become creative and innovative
in our approach to academic advising.” As a result, Early
Bird Advising was implemented in Spring semester 2005.
Each semester, faculty advisors conduct walk-in Early Bird
Advising in a high traffic central location, such as the Student
Center, on each of the campuses, usually one week prior to
the start of registration. Counseling and Career Services staff
are also available to assist students, as well as a financial
aid representative. Student participation is encouraged
through posters, e-mail announcements, and classroom
announcements by faculty. The Office of Student Life provides
food as an incentive for participation. Early Bird Advising gives
students the opportunity to discuss one-on-one with a faculty
advisor the coursework already taken and plan coursework
needed to complete the program of study. The faculty advisor
may recommend beneficial courses related to the program of
study, offer advice regarding the sequencing of coursework,
or refer to other services like Financial Aid or Counseling and
Career Services as needed. Georgia Highlands developed
several in-house surveys to assess the process of Early Bird
Advising from both the student and faculty perspectives.
Results were used to better plan the next session of Early Bird
Advising. An outcomes based assessment was employed in
Spring semester 2008 and showed that “students do use the
information provided by advisors to develop their immediate
schedules.” For more information, contact Laura at lralston@
highlands.edu.
Lisa Moison, GCE Program
Advisor/Retention Specialist at
Fitchburg State College, tells
us that “education students are
working professionals who do
not have a lot of time to research
degree programs or figure out
admissions and registration
policies. Because they attend college in the evening these
students can feel disconnected from the day school culture
because their course work occurs at night when campus is
primarily closed down.” Recognition of this obstacle caused
Fitchburg State College’s Graduate and Continuing Education
Office to think resourcefully about how to reconnect with these
students and about how best to provide advising services to
them. One solution they devised is an e-advising Web site for
evening students called the GCE Virtual Advisor. Lisa explains
that “brief videotaped segments were uploaded onto our Web
site, which communicated information regarding admissions,
financial aid, registration, distance learning, transfer credits
and additional topics that a student needs to know. In addition
to the FAQs piece, the site also showcases GCE program chairs
and managers talking about their specific degree programs.
This not only assists currently enrolled students, but also helps
prospective students to find out about our degrees directly
from the experts. Students can also instantly e-mail an advisor
via the Web site who will then get back in touch with them
within 24 hours. Nothing can replace a face-to-face advising
session, but this site does help to get information to students
24/7 and show our students who we are, so when they arrive
on campus they will have a sense of familiarity with our staff
and faculty already.” This project has allowed Fitchburg State
College’s Graduate and Continuing Education Office to provide
a contemporary approach to advising, 24/7 accurate advising
information to students, a feeling that prospective students “go
to Fitchburg State” versus just taking classes, information in
a format that is accessible to multiple kinds of learners, and
instant answers to some of the students’ most FAQs. Lisa notes
that one prospective student stated, “I’ve never seen anything
like this….the site is very user friendly,” while another student
remarked that he would be using the site frequently. A graduate
program chair at a recent meeting said, “Kudos to GCE for
doing this.” Lisa says, “We will be using student feedback to
improve the site as we move forward. One of the additions
will be an instructional video that explains how the site works.
Not all of our evening adult learners are confident in their
technological abilities, so an instructional video could prove
helpful to this population. We currently have twenty-five video
clips on our Web site and hope to add more within the next
year. To view our site, go to: www.fsc.edu/gce/virtualadvisor.
Take our Web site feedback survey. We’d love to hear from all
of you too.” For more information, contact Lisa at gceadvisor@
fsc.edu.
17
NACADA
Career Services Corner
When and How to Ask for a Raise
Because of recent events and the arrival of the holiday season, money may be at the forefront of your
mind. You might be thinking, “Will I have enough money this month to pay my bills, buy gas, keep
my family afloat, and survive the expense of the holiday season?” You might also be thinking about
how great it would be to have a higher salary, but asking for a raise may not seem appropriate with
the current state of the American economy. But don’t be discouraged – Be PREPARED! Begin your
homework now so you are prepared to determine when and how to ask for a raise in the future.
✓ Find out if your institution has a policy or procedures in place regarding raises. Read your
institution’s handbook or contact your campus human resources office. Note: If your institution has
a yearly, campus-wide or state-wide pay increase, you may not be able to get a pay raise during
other times of the year. In that case, you may only be able to approach the subject during your
yearly performance evaluation.
✓ Arrange a meeting with your supervisor at a time of day when s/he is at her/his best. Take note of
your supervisor’s habits and schedule or approach her/him when s/he is most receptive or responsive
to the conversation. Suggestion: If your immediate supervisor doesn’t have the ability to give raises,
work on a plan together of how to present documentation or justification to her/his supervisor.
✓ Have confidence! Be prepared to talk about specific reasons you are worthy of a raise – provide
examples or use numbers to quantify your contributions, accomplishments, additional duties, etc.
If you have difficulty remembering your contributions over the last year(s), pull out your yearly
performance evaluation to use as a guide. Plan to present this information in a format that will be best
received by your supervisor. Suggestions: Remember the above tip on time of day? Take note of how
your supervisor prefers to receive information in addition to when s/he’s most receptive to requests.
Also, check out the NACADA Web site (www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/advisingIssues/
advstats.htm) to compare your student-advisor ratio to that of advisors across the country.
✓ Practice! Just as you might practice with someone else to prepare for a job interview, practice your
“speech” with a trusted colleague, friend, or family member. This can help build your confidence
and your colleague may be able to provide some feedback on your approach, choice of words, and
even body language (if practicing in-person).
✓ Stay positive! Don’t discuss how you need the money because of the outrageous cost of gas, your
grandmother’s gambling problem, or your child’s need for braces. Make sure to focus on what you
have accomplished and what you will continue to contribute to your department, students, and
institution.
✓ Set a goal. It’s helpful to come into the conversation with an idea of what you would like to
earn, but be flexible, reasonable, and realistic. Research what others are making in the same or
similar position. Check out salary information on Web sites such as the Occupational Outlook
Handbook (Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov/oco), www.payscale.com, www.salary.com,
or the Economic Research Institute (www.erieri.com). Some public institutions are required to post
yearly salaries on their Web site or in the library. NACADA’s Web site also has recent information
on salaries in the Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources (type in “advisor salaries” in the
search box). Suggestion: If your union or state determines the pay range, you may need to work with
your supervisor to request reclassification (which would mean your job duties are slightly different,
a.k.a. more responsibility, than others in the same band or level).
✓ On the downside… If your request for a raise is turned down, ask your supervisor for specific
examples of what you can do in the next six months to a year to be in a better position to receive a
raise in the future. To help you maintain your focus, consider typing up your six to 12-month goals
based on those examples provided by your supervisor.
While this may not be the best time to ask for a raise, start building your case and your confidence in
18
Annual Conference a Resounding Success!
Over 3500 colleagues came to Chicago October 1-4 to share
information on current advising topics. As one attendee noted,
“We are a diverse group of people from diverse institutions
and this conference offered something for everyone.”
The 2008 NACADA Award recipients were honored at a special
Awards Ceremony and Reception. Virginia N. Gordon Award
for Excellence in the Field of Academic Advising winner Gary
Padak (Kent State University) is pictured above with President
Bloom. Pictures of all recipients will soon be available on the
NACADA Web site.
Lots of questions were asked and answered, and new
affiliations created, at the Commission and Interest Group
Fair on Thursday morning.
The Common Reading Discussion, which focused on issues
of diversity presented in Estela Bensimon’s (2007) article,
The Underestimated Significance of Practitioner Knowledge
in the Scholarship of Student Advising, was a highlight of the
Conference for many. One attendee explained, ”I had great
conversations with people I otherwise wouldn’t have interacted
with and learned a great deal from them.”
Authors were on hand Friday morning to autograph copies
of the eagerly anticipated, newly released 2nd edition of
Academic Advising: A Comprehensive Handbook.
Participants exchanged ideas and shared their thoughts with
the NACADA Leadership in small groups during the Town Hall
Meeting (above) on Friday afternoon.
The 2008-2010 Class of Emerging Leaders and Mentors came
together for the first time on Wednesday for Orientation to
the program, and then joined with members of the 20072009 class in a variety of venues throughout the Conference.
Emerging Leaders Brian Hinterscher and Todd Taylor, pictured
above, shared their ideas at the Town Hall Meeting.
Of course, the real heart of the Conference, as always, was
the professional development available through more than
350 workshops, individual concurrent and panel sessions and
poster presentations on relevant topics, as well as the additional
networking opportunities available in Region meetings, Hot
Topic discussions, and other small group venues.
Many thanks to the Conference Committee, the Executive
Office staff, the many volunteers, and all of the presenters
and facilitators who so graciously shared their knowledge and
experience with us!
19
Join the Discussion! The NACADA
Common Reading Program
Janet K. Schulenberg, Penn State University
R
emember
the
classic
commercial where a guy
eating chocolate bumped into
a guy eating peanut butter and
together they discovered a new
and wonderful thing? Something
like that happened in Pittsburgh,
PA at the NACADA Region 2
Conference last April. A discussion
about race and a discussion of
scholarly reading came together
to inspire the NACADA Common Reading Program. The
Common Reading Program was launched with a discussion
at the Annual Conference in Chicago and will continue with
additional readings and discussions in the future.
A Lucky Combination
At the Region 2 meeting, Carlton Scott, Jen Stapel, and
Carla Cummings (all academic advisors from the University
of Pittsburgh) hosted a lively discussion about race that left
participants wanting more time for discussion. Maren Larson
and Gabriela Bermudez (both academic advisors at Penn
State who presented a session about shared readings among
colleagues) suggested that the discussion continue during a
cancelled session later in the conference. This new session
was based upon a discussion of race in Sharon Fries-Britt
and Kimberly Griffin’s article, “The Black Box: How High
Achieving Blacks Resist Stereotypes About Black Americans.”
Copies of the article were made available and the session was
advertised via word of mouth and quickly-made fliers.
NACADA Executive Director Charlie Nutt, (then) Vice
President-elect Jayne Drake, and I were three of the 62
individuals who attended this impromptu session. We were
excited by the vigorous, honest, and stimulating conversations
generated by participants. Engaging in discussions about race
in higher education, although critical, can be emotionally
charged and fraught with discomfort. Centering the discussion
on an article created a scholarly environment where it was
safe to discuss topics that might otherwise be considered too
controversial or personal.
Thanks to Charlie and Jayne’s communication of this idea
to NACADA leadership, the Pitt and Penn State presenters
and I were asked to organize a similar event at the October
2008 Annual Conference in Chicago, to be sponsored by the
Research and Diversity Committees. With support from the
Research Committee and the Infusing Research Task Force,
we have created a year-round program to help all advisors
continuously improve their practice through engagement with
scholarly literature and discussion among colleagues.
The Mission of the Common Reading Program
The NACADA Common Reading Program is designed to engage
the NACADA membership in reading and discussing scholarly
literature related to academic advising. Scholarly engagement
is a significant way that advisors can continuously improve
20
their practice, build their knowledge, and contribute to the
field of academic advising. When they engage with literature
and discuss with colleagues, advising practitioners can better
recognize their own theoretical perspectives, apply concepts
from research to their advising practice, and recognize gaps
in their knowledge and the existing literature. As a result of
active engagement with scholarly literature, advisors will be
better equipped to develop and conduct their own inquiry
projects and improve their work with students.
Chicago: The First Common Reading Event
More than 70 people gathered on Thursday evening of
the Annual Conference to engage in a discussion of Estella
Bensimon’s (2007) article, “The Underestimated Significance
of Practitioner Knowledge in the Scholarship of Student
Success.” Bensimon’s article challenges the implicitly racebased assumptions underlying some canons of student
development theory, and challenges practitioners to consider
their own gaps in understanding the behavior patterns of
underrepresented students.
We have learned to view inequality in educational
outcomes as a problem of student underpreparedness,
not a problem of practitioner knowledge, pedagogical
approaches, or ‘culturally held’ ideas about minority
students (Bensimon, 2007, p. 456).
Bensimon argues that practitioners are important agents of
individual student success and encourages those who work
directly with students to investigate their impact.
In small groups facilitated by members of the sponsoring
committees, participants discussed their reactions to
Bensimon’s argument. Participants were asked to consider
their gaps in understanding the behavior patterns of students
from racial and ethnic groups other than their own, explore
ways to increase their multicultural awareness, and discuss
how the significance and impact of academic advising relate
to issues of racial equity in higher education.
Commission & Interest Group Update
ESL & International Student Advising
Commission
Leslie Staggers, Chair
The ESL & International Student Advising Commission
embodies the phrase “good things come in small packages.”
As Chair of one of the smallest commissions in NACADA, I
was happily surprised to see 10% of the membership at our
commission meeting at the Annual Conference in Chicago.
Our commission meeting was once again a great chance
for members to network and share experiences with others.
Attending was a great mix of advisors from around the country,
with varying types of experience. I want to congratulate our
commission sponsored presenters, Jocelyn Ramirez-Blanco
from Woodbury University and Kris Rugsaken from Ball State
University, for bringing our student issues to the conference.
At this meeting, we touched on topics of concern for the
group and worked to define “who” our students are. Defining
the types of students that we serve is important so that our
members, and the general NACADA membership, can have a
better idea of how important those students are. “International
student” does not always refer to a student who studies on
a visa, but can include refugees, asylees, or even permanent
residents who have completed portions of their education
in other countries. While ESL students may seem to fall into
a similar set of circumstances, teaching those students is
tailored to their own circumstances as an adult immigrant,
refugee, international student, or generation 1.5 student.
This is certainly not an extensive list of the types of students
we serve, but gives you an idea of the complexities that these
students and advisors face. The commission plans to work
toward sharing ideas and strategies even more this year,
and we will set up a message board where those interested
can post. In the meantime, I invite all NACADA members
to subscribe to our listserv (www.nacada.ksu.edu/Listserve/
index.htm) and ask questions when they arise. I also appeal
to the members of the ESL & International Student Advising
Commission to remain active advocates for our students by
sharing your experiences and expertise on the listserv or by
suggesting resources on our Web page (www.nacada.ksu.
edu/Commissions/C26/index.htm).
Leslie Staggers
Indiana University Southeast
[email protected]
Multicultural Concerns Commission
Cornelius K. Gilbert, Chair
Dear Commission Members:
Greetings from the great state
of Wisconsin! As the new Chair
of the Multicultural Concerns
Commission (MCC), I first thank
each and every one of you for
electing me to serve as your new
Chair! I am very excited and
certainly look forward to building
upon and expanding the work of
Ball State’s Kris T. Rugsaken, the immediate past Chair.
Meeting the unique needs of multicultural students is our
challenge. As many of you know, I have been an Academic
Advisor serving undecided undergrads for seven years at the
University of Wisconsin (main campus located in Madison).
As an Associate Lecturer at UW-Madison’s Department of
Counseling Psychology, I am blessed to have the unique
opportunity to instruct undergraduates and therefore bring
classroom experience into advising.
Kris Rugsaken worked to increase the pool of experience
and expertise within the MCC. The Commission’s increased
21
membership is a clear illustration of the importance and
the desire necessary to adequately meet the unique needs
of multicultural students. With members of the Commission
possessing a wide range of experience and expertise among
its passionate members, I have high aspirations for the MCC
in the coming years! The October Commission meeting at
our Annual Conference in Chicago laid the foundation for
the work of the MCC for the next two years. During that
meeting (and many thanks to Colleen Opal for taking notes!),
I shared with the Commission members my desire to engage
the MCC to more research-based activities.
As our Executive Director Charlie Nutt noted in his September
19th blog posting on the NACADA Web site, institutions
are systematically investigating the benefits of advising and
have started to incorporate the core essentials of advising
into institutional strategic goals and institutional missions.
To ensure that our work is respected and continuously
advancing, it is critically important, particularly for members
of the MCC, to engage in research-based activities. Increasing
the number of research-based conference proposals and
NACADA Journal submissions will allow us to become better
equipped to meet the needs of our students and the broader
challenges we face on our campuses.
This is a very exciting time for the MCC! Membership has
increased, and we have the voices to create conditions that
matter for student success! Let us now put our pens to paper
and write successful research reports to not only help create
environments for student success, but also for our own
success.
Now is the time to get involved! There are many opportunities
to become active. Please contact me if you are interested in
advancing multicultural advising.
addition, we were particularly pleased to recognize Kathy
Stockwell of Fox Valley Technical College with our “Service
to the Faculty Advising Commission” Award. Go Kathy!
This meeting also represented the passing of the Chair’s baton
from Rhonda Sprague to me, Vicki McGillin. Rhonda was also
recognized for her two years of service to the organization
and her leadership in the Faculty Advising Commission.
As incoming Chair, I discussed my interest in setting up
regional representation, so that a member of the Commission
in each Region can liaison with the Regional Conference
Chair to encourage sessions at the regional and local levels
that address faculty advising and attract faculty. We are also
looking for Steering Committee members and members for
several committees, including Service to the Commission,
Conference Proposal Reading, etc. If you are interested in
getting involved with the Faculty Advising Commission,
please contact me.
Victoria A. McGillin, Chair
Those gathered generated topics to recommend to the
Executive Office for advising Webcasts, specifically Webinars
that would be attractive to faculty advisors. Topics included:
a panel of Presidents/Provosts who advocate for advising;
how to place advising within the teaching, scholarship and
service demands of the faculty; advising as teaching; advising
versus mentoring; legal and ethical issues for advisors;
advising outside one’s own discipline; and an advising 101
for Presidents and Provosts. If you have additional ideas, let
me know.
Approximately 25 members of the Faculty Advising
Commission gathered in Chicago during the Annual
Conference to honor and recognize our award-winning
faculty advisors and programs, NACADA election winners,
and conference sessions sponsored by the Commission. In
We discussed other potential Commissions with which
to partner on panels at conferences, including academic
administration, assessment, small colleges and the legal/
ethical interest group. We generated potential hot topics for
next year’s conference: accreditation/QEP/student learning
As we say at the University of Wisconsin, let us be “FORWARD
THINKING!”
Peace,
Cornelius K. Gilbert
University of Wisconsin-Madison
[email protected]
Faculty Advising Commission
22
and advising; recognition and reward; evaluation of faculty;
and integrating advising with research. Finally, members
suggested that a good topic for the listserv should be “Advisor
or Mentor; Do they differ and does that differ by institutional
type.” Keep those ideas coming and get involved!
Over the upcoming months I will outline how I hope to
accomplish our main priorities through the listserv. I look
forward to working with you all and please do not hesitate
to contact me via email or phone if you have any ideas you
would like to discuss.
Victoria A. McGillin
Vice President for Academic Affairs/Dean of the Faculty
Linfield College
[email protected]
Darren Francis
Simon Fraser University
[email protected]
Canada Interest Group
Darren Francis, Chair
Who I am? Greetings! I would
first like to start by introducing
myself, I am Darren Francis, and I
am the Manager of Registration &
Information Services with Simon
Fraser University’s (SFU) Surrey
Campus, which is SFU’s newest
campus. I recently joined SFU after
spending the first eight years of my
career with the University of the
Fraser Valley (UFV), where I started
off as a general advisor in Student Services and held a variety
of positions within advising, eventually ending my time with
UFV as the Director of the Science Advice Centre. I have been
a member of NACADA and was one of the first graduates
of the Graduate Certificate in Advising through Kansas State
University. My involvement in NACADA includes: presenting
at NACADA’s first International Conference in Scotland,
Chairing the Northwest Regional Conference in Vancouver,
publishing two articles in Academic Advising Today and more
recently being accepted into NACADA’s Emerging Leaders
program. While attending the recent NACADA Annual
Conference in Chicago as part of the Emerging Leaders
program, I was appointed Chair of the Canada Interest group.
At this time, I would like to publically thank Natasha Buis for
her efforts with the Canada Interest group.
Native American and Tribal College
Interest Group Chair
Les Ridingin, Chair
Many thanks to Adrienne Thunder
(University of Wisconsin-Madison)
for her years of service as our
Interest Group Chair. Although
she must let other professional
priorities take precedence for
awhile, Adrienne will remain active
in our IG and in NACADA. As a
member of the Osage Nation, it
has been a privilege for me to work
with this group since 2005, and I
am honored to have been asked to assume the role of Chair.
I hope to continue the group’s presence by professional
presentations and increasing awareness. If you are interested
in Native American advising issues, please contact me and
join the Interest Group’s listserv!
Les Ridingin
University of Texas-Arlington
[email protected]
Where to we go from here? At our Canada Interest Group
meeting in Chicago, we had over 40 advisors attend and had
a lively discussion about where our group should go. At the
end of the session, three main priorities were identified:
1) Improve contact across the country through more frequent
use of the listserv,
2) Increase the number of Canadian advising sessions at the
Annual Conference and have them identified, and
3) B
uild Canadian advising infrastructure with the goal of
having a NACADA sponsored Canadian Advising Annual
Conference – target date 2011.
23
First-Generation College Student Advising
Interest Group
Probation, Dismissal, Reinstatement
Issues Interest Group
The First Generation Interest Group would like to recognize
the following Regional Liaisons. These individuals will be
responsible for initiating conversations on the listserv and
leading regional efforts on behalf of the First Generation
Interest Group. Kudos to you for your leadership!
With the fall semester well underway for most, if not all of
us, it is great to have an opportunity to reflect on the various
Probation/Dismissal/Reinstatement (PDR) issues that we and
our colleagues presented at the NACADA Annual Conference
in Chicago, as well as the related concerns and experience
that many of us share.
Marcia Bimmel and Joe Murray, Co-Chairs
Andrea Gillie Harris, Chair
After attending many sessions and looking through all of
the conference offerings, I was very proud to see how many
presentations related to probation. This is sad on the one hand
because it is obviously a real, pervasive issue for many of us.
However, the more we talk about it, the better chance we
have to define best practices that have practical applications
at varied types of schools.
Region 1
Nicole Zervas Adsitt, LeMoyne College
Region 2Marc Adkins, Gannon University
Rebecca Zawisky-Coleman, Harrisburg
Area Community College
Region 3
Angela Mead, Appalachian State
Region 4
Iana Williams, University of North Florida
Jocelyn Wilcher Vickers, Auburn University
Region 5Rachel Cocos, UW-Milwaukee
Torrion Amie, UW-River Falls
Toady Nalls, College for Creative Studies
Region 6
Susan Anderson, University of St. Thomas
Judy Vopava, The University of Iowa
Region 7Willie L. Johnson, South Texas College
Jodi Gonzalez, Texas Tech University
Region 8
Diana Churchill, Whitworth University
Region 9
Adeste Sipin, Nevada State College
Michael Maglaya, University of Hawai’i
Region 10Tom Avants, Arizona State University
Valerie Martin, San Juan College
At the conference, many of us were even able to attend
the Interest Group meeting, where we broke into smaller
groups and discussed issues that we faced on our respective
campuses. I hope that those breakout sessions were as
meaningful to others as they were to me. On Saturday, the
PDR Interest group presented a Hot Topics session related
to assessment. We were pleased to see so many people
in attendance, given that it was the final time slot of the
conference.
In addition, that day, we said “goodbye” to Chris Maroldo,
a colleague from IUPUI who led our group for the last two
years. We appreciate the contributions that Chris has made
to higher education and NACADA and hope that he will
continue to be an active member of our group.
It is my hope that we can share with our respective campus
communities the importance of taking a critical look at our
PDR policies. We should continue to assess them in order
Marcia Bimmel
Miami University-Hamilton
[email protected]
Joe Murray
Miami University-Hamilton
[email protected]
24
to ensure that they are clear, fair, and consistent with our
commitment to helping our students be the best citizens that
they can be.
As we look ahead to the coming year, I look forward to many
opportunities for discussion, assessment and maybe even
some humor.
Andrea Gillie Harris
Pepperdine University
[email protected]
Doctoral Student Potential Interest Group
Sarah Keeling and Amanda Cuervas, Co-Chairs
The Doctoral Student Potential Interest Group had a successful
inaugural meeting at the NACADA Annual Conference in
Chicago! Despite the warm temperature in the room, 29
interested members joined in the conversation. We had a
lively discussion about the group’s needs, including ways to
create more community interaction; sharing resources, such
as information on research topics and literature reviews,
developing a research topic, electronic data management
resources including EndNotes and RefWorks; and helping
prospective doctoral students research and apply to doctoral
programs. We also shared our research topics with one
another and shared some advice and encouragement with
one another. Perhaps one of the best pieces of advice
came from (then) President Jenny Bloom, who reminded
us that we need to reframe when we face challenges and
negative thinking along the doctoral student journey. Jenny
encouraged us to tell ourselves, “Stop! Yes, I can do this!”
We are in the process of refining our mission statement and
will discuss group goals at upcoming conferences. For more
information including information on how to subscribe to
the listserv, visit www.nacada.ksu.edu/interestgroups/C49/
C49-DoctoralStudents.htm. Also, please join our wiki at
http://nacadaphd.wikidot.com. We hope to see you at future
meetings!
Sarah Keeling
University of South Carolina
[email protected]
Amanda Cuevas
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
[email protected]
NACADA CO-SPONSORS 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOR PERSONAL
TUTORING/ACADEMIC ADVISING IN LIVERPOOL ENGLAND
NACADA and The Higher Education Academy in the United Kingdom will co-sponsor the 3rd Annual Conference for
Personal Tutoring/Academic Advising in Liverpool, England on April 21-22, 2009. The theme for this year’s conference,
hosted by Edge Hill University, is Personal Tutorial/Academic Advising: Improving Student Success.
This is the third year that NACADA has collaborated with The Higher Education Academy to sponsor this conference;
the first year it was held in Edinburgh, Scotland, and last year it was in Pittsburgh in partnership with NACADA’s Region
2 conference. At the Edinburgh conference, nearly 190 participants from the UK, the US (about 20 NACADA members
from the US and Canada were in attendance), and Ireland were in attendance; last year in Pittsburgh, participants from
the UK, the US, Ireland, the United Emirates, and the Ukraine were in attendance. For information on the Edinburgh
conference, visit the September 2007 AAT for an article from Past President Michael McCauley on his experience at
the conference, www.nacada.ksu.edu/AAT/documents/30_3.pdf.
These international conferences have been outstanding opportunities for advisors/peer tutors, faculty, and
administrators from across the globe to meet, network, and share ideas regarding student success. A significant
outcome of these conferences has been a clear demonstration that student success, retention, and persistence are
key to all higher education institutions across the world and that academic advising/peer tutoring is a key element of
enhancing the success of our students.
Watch for more information on submitting session proposals and registration for this conference at www.nacada.ksu.
edu/IntrntlConf/PersTutAvsg/2009UK/index.htm.
25
How to Promote Global Citizenry . . . continued from page 1
explore topics related to gender, race, disability, and global
violence (www.livingat.wsu.edu/hdrl/events/tunnel.asp). As
participants walk through the tunnel, they are confronted with
various displays of social issues. Exhibits such as this function
as a first step towards inquiry and thus encourage responsible
citizenry.
At the national level, the National Student Exchange Program
is a great tool that allows students to further their knowledge
of global citizenry in another part of the U.S. or in Canada.
Students can choose to study for a semester or a year at
another institution that provides the opportunity to experience
other perspectives through a new location. For example, a
black student from a mostly-white college might gain a new
perspective by attending a historically black college. For
another student committed to the fight against global warming,
a semester at the University of Alaska Southeast might provide
hands-on experiences in environmental studies (www.nse.org/
facultywhy.asp). Issues, such as racism and environmental
deterioration, are abundant within our culture. Advisors should
encourage student use of tools such as the NSE to explore
ways they can address these societal challenges.
Authors in the NACADA Study Abroad Interest Group
newsletter note that, “the Senator Simon Act seeks to have
10 million American students studying abroad within 10
years with a substantial increase in study abroad participation
to developing nations” (2007). In today’s global society,
education is no longer bounded by space. The opportunity
to go to a different part of the world can be a life-changing
experience for students. A class on global violence taught
at the University of Ghana would be very different than the
same class taught in the U.S. Students interested in learning
more about race, class, or gender issues might want to learn
more about how these societal factors play out abroad. For
example, how is race defined differently in Australia or China?
Through the study abroad program, students gain firsthand
insight into these global issues and further their educations as
global citizens.
A democracy cannot exist without responsible citizens attuned
to injustices at the local, national, and international levels. I
believe that academic advisors must support our democracy,
embrace our role as teachers, and make a commitment to
critical pedagogy. Through good advising, we can cultivate
global citizenship in and out of classrooms. Local opportunities
such as the Tunnel of Oppression are helpful to all students but
especially helpful for students who face budgetary constraints.
I challenge academic advisors to search for ways we can help
further our students’ journeys to become responsible global
citizens. I hope that the various routes presented in this article
will inspire advisors to meet our obligations to make our
democracy stronger.
References
NACADA concept of academic advising. (2006). National
Academic Advising Association. Retrieved June 25, 2008,
from
www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/
Concept-Advising.htm.
NACADA Study Abroad Interest Group newsletter. (2007)
National Academic Advising Association. Retrieved July 1, 2008,
from www.nacada.ksu.edu/interestgroups/C38/documents/
C38-Newsletter2007Vol2-1.pdf.
The tunnel of oppression. Washington State University,
Housing, dining, and residence life. Retrieved July 1, 2008,
from www.livingat.wsu.edu/hdrl/events/tunnel.asp.
Thurmond, K and Nutt, C. (2006) Academic advising syllabus:
Advising as teaching in action. National Academic Advising
Association. Retrieved June 25, 2008, from www.nacada.ksu.
edu/Webinars/documents/W02Handout.pdf.
West, C. (2004) Democracy matters: Winning the fight against
imperialism. New York: Penguin Books.
Why exchange? National Student Exchange. Retrieved July 1,
2008 from www.nse.org/facultywhy.asp.
Celebration and Challenge in . . . continued from page 2
Leaders Program, publications focusing on diversity issues,
and services to ensure that all academic advisors are
sensitive to their diverse student populations, will continue
to be a priority.
Finally, one of the most exciting parts of this next year for me
will be that, as an association, we are formally acknowledging
that our memberships and the services NACADA provides
are no longer restricted to the United States, or even North
America. We currently have NACADA members from 24
different countries, and there were six countries represented
at the Chicago Conference. Thanks to the work done this past
year, NACADA Leadership will now define what it means to
be an international association. I believe this will result in a
more dynamic, inclusive, and productive association for all
us. This is an exciting time in the history of NACADA as we
approach our 30th year.
Casey Self, President
602-496-0593
[email protected]
Yung-Hwa Anna Chow
General Studies and Advising Center
Washington State University
[email protected]
26
Going Out the Door: The . . . continued from page 4
• explore and
collaboration.
invest
in
technology
that
facilitates
Advisors should realize that diversity often results in conflict.
Consequently, to engage effectively in a multicultural,
international context, they will have to increase both their
comfort with and their skill in managing conflict. Likewise,
advisors must learn new means of overcoming conflict because
many of the traditionally “American” ways of resolving
conflict are not valid in global settings. Both Gerzon (2006)
and LeBaron (2003) provide excellent insights regarding how
this can be done effectively.
NACADA Leaders must maintain an open mind and flexibility
within the organizational structures. Organizations tend to
resist change and, as humans, we often look at issues from
our own frames of reference. Unfortunately, this may impede
our growth. If we are to embrace this change we must learn
to adapt to new ways of doing things, becoming skillful at
navigating a new frame is central.
Bolman and Deal (2008) state, “In trying to make sense out
of a complicated and ambiguous situation… we depend very
much on the frames, or mindsets, to give us a full reading
of what we are up against” (p. 38). They suggest four frames
through which we typically view our organizations: structural,
human resources, political, and symbolic. Each brings its own
strengths when looking at an issue and none are more right
or wrong than the other. They simply allow us to translate
observations into making decisions and moving to action.
When advisors understand our frames and those of others, we
function more effectively and then NACADA will strengthen its
knowledge base for advisors and, by extension, for students.
Gerzon, M. (2003). Becoming global citizens: Finding
common ground in a world of differences. Retrieved August
13, 2008, from www.mediatorsfoundation.org/relatedreading/
becoming_global_citizens.pdf
Gerzon, M. (2006). Leading through conflict: How successful
leaders transform differences into opportunities. Boston:
Harvard Business School.
Gudykunst, W.B. (2004). Bridging differences: Effective
intergroup communication. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications, Inc.
Knight, J. (1994). Internationalization: Elements and
checkpoints (Research Monograph, No. 7). Ottawa, Canada:
Canadian Bureau for International Education.
LeBaron, M. (2003). Bridging cultural conflicts: A new
approach for a changing world. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Tolbert, A.S., McLean, G.N., & Myers, R.C. (2002). Creating
the global learning organization (GLO). International Journal
of Intercultural Relations, 26, 463-472.
Tolkien, J. R. R. (2004). The Fellowship of the Ring. New York:
Houghton Mifflin.
This is a long journey; one not to be taken lightly. It will call for
a sustained commitment from NACADA leaders and members
to the fostering of intercultural competence and dexterity. In
Tolkien’s classics, stepping outside the door proved beneficial
for not only Tolkien’s protagonist, but also for those who were
brought together in the united quest to make a difference. To
this end, it is time to cross the threshold.
Shannon Lynn Burton
Academic Advising Specialist
School of Criminal Justice
Michigan State University
[email protected]
Jeffrey McClellan
Assistant Professor of Management
Academic Advisor
Frostburg State University
[email protected]
References
Bolman, L.G. & Deal, T.E. (2008). Reframing Organizations:
Artistry, Choice and Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
27
Emerging Leaders Program: . . . continued from page 8
to go beyond what we know and try new things, we model
and mentor to our students and colleagues. Audrey is a
great example of an individual who is challenging herself
professionally and becoming a leader. The skills she is
developing benefit her in her job, but also as an Emerging
NACADA Leader.
At the halfway point in the program, we can honestly say
that we have both benefited from the ELP relationship. At this
point the leader/mentor lines blur at times. We encourage
each other to take on new challenges. In some relationships,
it might be a one-way street with information flowing from
mentor to leader, but for us, it is a two-way street. As a mentor,
Karen is getting as much out of the relationship as Audrey
is as the Emerging Leader. We are learning from each other,
evaluating, encouraging, and questioning. What an amazing
gift of professional growth and belonging from NACADA!
What more could we ask?
Learn more about the Emerging Leaders Program at www.
nacada.ksu.edu/Programs/EmergingLeaders/Index.htm and
begin preparing your application to be a NACADA Emerging
Leader or Mentor today! You’ll be very glad you did!
Audrey Jackson
Florida Community College-Jacksonville
[email protected]
Karen Sullivan-Vance
Western Oregon University
[email protected]
28
Grounding the Helicopters: . . . continued from page 9
success. 100% of respondents from the 2007 Parent Orientation
indicated that the event was helpful, informative, and beneficial
to them. One of the comments received which reflected the
parents’ overall appreciation was, “So great to know staff
will take the time to inform parents who are investing in their
institution = TRUST!”
Conclusion
It is not sufficient to understand why parents are as involved
as they have become recently, or to be sympathetic to that
involvement, or to have tools to work with these seemingly
meddlesome parties. Post-secondary professionals must accept
this parental involvement and embrace it. A parent’s motivation
is always towards the child’s best interests as perceived by the
parent, however misguided the parent’s actions may seem
at times, and however frustrated this may make an advisor
or other post-secondary professional. Additionally, many
students want their parent(s) to be present and involved. In the
post-secondary world, we identify, advocate for, and sing the
praises of the myriad of supports provided for students: writing
and math centers, tutors, advisors, counselors, disability
services, financial aid offices, etc., but rarely if ever do we
acknowledge the significance of parents as part of that support
network. We need to recognize that parents are our partners
and an integral component of student success. In many cases,
parents are a pillar for student success.
It is well documented that the transition from high school to
university can be dramatic for students, and without the proper
support services students are at a greater risk of withdrawing
because of the uncertainty which occurs during the transition
to university. This transition can be just as dramatic for parents,
especially when considering the environment of required
involvement parents are accustomed to in the secondary
education system. Subsequently, without implementing
support services for parents designed to help them with their
transition and preparing them with strategies for how to let
go of children who are now becoming independent adults,
how else are parents supposed to know how to support their
sons and daughters? Thus, it is the responsibility of advisors
and other university professionals to provide information
through parent-only orientations, inquiries, handouts and
Web pages designed specifically for parents, and inclusion
in advising appointments to prepare parents on how best
to support their sons and daughters in the post-secondary
education environment. By eliminating pejorative terms to
describe involved parents and educating parents on how best
to support their children, we can help alleviate the adversarial
relationship which often occurs between parents and university
professionals, because expectations and boundaries will be
set and all parties involved will be able to focus on what is
truly important: the student’s academic success.
Darren Francis
Manager, Registrar & Information Services
Simon Fraser University
[email protected]
Nicholas Johnson
Department Head, Educational Advising
Student Services, University of the Fraser Valley
[email protected]
References
Balderrama, Anthony (2008). When employees bring Mom and
Dad to work. Retrieved September 29,2008 from MSN careers:
www.careerbuilder.com/Custom/MSN/CareerAdvice/
ViewArticle.
Kantrowitz, B. and Tyre, P. (2006). The fine art of letting go.
Retrieved October 10, 2008 from Newsweek online articles.
Taylor, Mark (2006). Helicopters, snowplows, and bulldozers:
Managing students’ parents. Retrieved October 23,2008,
from taylorprograms.org: www.taylorprograms.org/images/
BulletinNov200612-21a.pdf.
Are you interested in hearing more positive suggestions for Working with Parents?
Register now for
Success with Parent Education:
Dialoguing with New Students and their Parents at the Collegiate Level
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
A Live Internet-broadcast Webinar Event
In this Webinar broadcast, 2008 Best of Region 7 Conference Presentation winner Brian Nossaman
will discuss the current practices and effective techniques used at the University of Oklahoma’s
University College to teach the new college parent and student about their changing roles.
Learn more at www.nacada.ksu.edu/Webinars/W22.htm. Registration deadline is Friday, January 23.
29
Undecided/Exploratory Students . . . continued from page 10
attrition prone because of numerous methodological
problems (Lewallen, 1992, p. 30).
More recently, Cuseo (2005) agreed with Lewallen that it is
unfortunate there is a perception that undecided students
are more attrition-prone. He argues that decided students
who made inappropriate choices of major based on lack of
information, lack of thoughtful planning, or lack of a realistic
self-assessment of their abilities and interests, might in fact be
at a greater risk of leaving college than undecided students.
Graunke, Woosley, and Helms (2006) also found that
“individuals who reported relatively high levels of commitment
toward a specific career path were less likely to complete a
degree in six years than were individuals who reported lower
levels of commitment” (p. 17). The significant number of
major changers as shown in research (Foote, 1980; Kramer,
Higley, & Olsen, 1994; Pierson, 1962; Titley and Titley, 1980)
supports the possibility that decided students are at least at a
comparable level of risk of attrition as undecided students.
Based upon these findings we, as advisors, may want to
consider how we can help our “declared” students confirm or
reject their initial choice of major, and how are we targeting
them in our retention efforts.
David B. Spight
Assistant Dean for Advising
The School of Undergraduate Studies
The University of Texas at Austin
[email protected]
Kramer, G.L., Higley, H.B., & Olsen, D. (1994). Changes in
academic major among undergraduate students. College and
University, 69(2), 88-98.
Lewallen, W.C. (1992). Persistence of the “undecided”: The
characteristics and college persistence of students undecided
about academic major or career choice. Dissertation Abstracts
International, 53, 12A, 4226.
Lewallen, W.C. (1993). The impact of being “undecided”
on college-student persistence. Journal of College Student
Development, 34(2), 103-112.
Noel, L. (1985). Increasing student retention: New challenges
and potential. In Noel, L., Levitz, R., Saluri, D., & Associates.
Increasing student retention: Effective programs and practices
for reducing the dropout rate. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Pierson, R.P. (1962). Changes of major by university students.
Personnel and Guidance Journal, 40, 458-461.
Sprandel, H.Z. (1985). Career planning and counseling. In
Noel, L., Levitz, R., Saluri, D., & Associates. (1985). Increasing
student retention: Effective programs and practices for reducing
the dropout rate. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Titley, R.W., & Titley, B.S. (1980). Initial choice of college
major: Are only the “undecided” undecided? Journal of College
Student Personnel, 21, 293-298.
References:
Anderson, E. (1985). Forces influencing student persistence and
achievement. In Noel, L., Levitz, R., Saluri, D., & Associates.
Increasing student retention: Effective programs and practices
for reducing the dropout rate. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Beal, P.E., & Noel, L. (1980). What works in student retention.
Iowa City, IA and Boulder, CO: The American College Testing
Program and the National Center for Higher Education
Management Systems.
Cuseo, J. (2005). “Decided,” “undecided,” and “in transition”:
Implications for academic advisement, career counseling &
student retention. In R.S. Feldman (Ed.). Improving the first
year of college: Research and practice. (pp.27-48). Mahwah,
NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Foote, B. (1980). Determined- and undetermined-major
students: How different are they? Journal of College Student
Personnel, 21, 29-34.
Gordon, V.N. (1985). Students with uncertain academic goals.
In Noel, L., Levitz, R., Saluri, D., & Associates. Increasing
student retention: Effective programs and practices for reducing
the dropout rate. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Graunke, S.S., Woosley, S.A., & Helms, L.L. (2006). How do
their initial goals impact students’ chances to graduate? An
exploration of three types of commitment. NACADA Journal,
26(1), 13-18.
30
In Our Own Best Interest: . . . continued from page 11
the trust of the communities they serve, the benefits to these
communities emerge. For example, as more American Indians
graduate from Tribal Colleges, the number of American Indian
businesses that directly impact the tribal community has
increased. Clement (2006) explained that from 1997 to 2002,
in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin,
the growth of Indian-owned businesses was notably higher
than growth for firms in general. Specifically, Clement (2006)
cited statistics showing that in South Dakota Indian-owned
businesses jumped 37 percent during that time compared to
six percent for other businesses.
While communities are benefiting, Tribal Colleges still answer
their original mission to graduate American Indians whose
needs would not have been met at predominantly white
institutions. Boyer (1997), in a survey of Tribal College students,
found that students who enroll in Tribal Colleges bring with
them a long list of needs – academic, personal and financial –
that place a heavy load on Tribal Colleges. According to Boyer,
while Tribal College students were critical of the services and
facilities these Tribal Colleges offered, they were unanimous
in their praise for the warmth and encouragement members
of the campus community provided. Boyer described Tribal
College faculty as “heroic figures” who made extra efforts
to understand student needs, help them succeed, build their
confidence, and become trusted advisors and true friends.
Thanks to a combination of Indian activism, federal support,
and the desire for self-determination, Tribal Colleges have
flourished. Today, Tribal Colleges are recognized as unique
institutions making broad economic, social, and cultural
impacts on the students and communities they serve. This
impact has come despite severe under funding, high rates of
poverty in the communities they serve, and poor facilities.
Despite these challenges, Tribal Colleges continue to flourish
and make their mark on American higher education.
Les Ridingin
University of Texas at Austin
[email protected]
Boyer, P. (1997). First survey of Tribal College students reveals
attitudes. Tribal College Journal, Fall, 36-41.
Clement, D. (2006). Growth by degrees. Fedgazette.
Retrieved July 6, 2008, from www.minneapolisfed.org/pubs/
fedgaz/06-03/degrees.cfm.
Crum, S. (1989). The idea of an Indian college or university
in twentieth century America before the foundation of the
Navajo community college in 1968. Tribal College Journal,
Summer, 20-23.
Crum, S. (2007). Indian activism, the Great Society, Indian
self-determination, and the drive for an Indian college or
university, 1964-1971. American Indian Culture and Research
Journal, 31, 1-20.
Guillory, R. and Wolverton, M. (2008). It’s about family: Native
American student persistence in higher education. Journal of
Higher Education, 79, 58-87.
Huff, P. S. (1976). Educational colonialism: The American
Indian experience. Harvard Graduate School of Education
Association Bulletin, 20, 2-6.
Longwell-Grice, R., and Longwell-Grice, H. (2003). Chiefs,
braves, and tomahawks: The Use of American Indians as
university mascots. NASPA Journal, 40, 1-12.
Mihesuah, Devon (2004). Academic Gatekeepers. In D.A.
Mihesuah & A.C. Wilson (Eds.), Indigenizing the academy:
transforming scholarship and empowering communities (p.
90). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln.
Shanley, J. (2003). Limitations and alternatives to developing
a Tribally-controlled College. In M. Bernham and W. Stein
(Eds.), The Renaissance of American Indian higher education:
Capturing the dream (pp 61-72). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Velie, A. R. (1979). American Indian literature: An anthology.
Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Wright, B. (1995). The broken covenant: American Indian
missions in the colonial colleges. Tribal College Journal,
Summer, 28-33.
Robert Longwell-Grice
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
[email protected]
Adrienne Thunder
University of Wisconsin-Madison
[email protected]
References
AIHEC (2008). Tribal Colleges: An Introduction. Retrieved
September 16, 2008 from www.aihec.org.
Benham, A. N. and Stein, W. J. (2003). The Renaissance of
American Indian higher education: Capturing the dream. Eric
Document Reproduction Service No. 469366.
Bennett, C. and Okinaka, A. (1990). Factors relating to
persistence among Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White
undergraduates at a predominantly White university:
Comparison between first and fourth year cohorts. Urban
Review, 22, 33-60.
31
If We Only Knew Then: . . . continued from page 12
True Adventures of a Master . . . continued from page 13
want to practice saying it at the bathroom mirror until you are
comfortable with how it sounds and looks coming out of your
mouth.
decisions on advising issues and training program design. The
Master Advisors have built traditional classroom workshops
and Web-based training applications as well as quick reference
desktop training resources to serve GPC’s diverse workforce.
This three-tiered advisor training vehicle was launched fall
2008 with great excitement about the varied modes of content
delivery as well as the enhanced reinforcements in message
and methodology for effective advising.
Observation 11: Work on building upper body strength.
You will need it to push mountains of paper, including such
weighty matters as yearly reports, job descriptions, assessment
plans, policies and procedures, forms for everything, not to
mention the emails that press upon you every day. Therefore,
including special exercises to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome
is also advisable.
Observation 12: Love your IT people and learn to exploit their
vulnerabilities, examples of which frequently include dark
chocolate and pizza, and even homemade brownies with
walnuts when things become particularly dire.
Observation 13: When academic advising works well, the rest
of the college works well. Let it be the toughest job you have
ever loved.
Observation 14: If you do not now have a sense of humor,
buy/bye now.
Jayne K. Drake
Vice Dean for Academic Affairs
Director of the Master of Liberal Arts Program
College of Liberal Arts
Temple University
[email protected]
Most importantly, GPC’s leadership has made a major
commitment to student success on all campuses and in all
classroom formats, no matter how geographic distances
challenge this notion. Vincent Tinto, the nationally respected
authority on student retention, argues that access with proper
support is not opportunity. At GPC, we are determined to
provide access AND opportunity with all the support we can
muster! The Master Faculty Advisors at GPC will continue to be
on the frontlines to deliver support to our hard-working faculty
advisors in their efforts to build success for all our students and
thereby better serve our community.
We look forward to your comments and inquiries.
Cynthia A. Walker
Assistant Professor, ESL & Foreign Language Department
Georgia Perimeter College
Dunwoody Campus
[email protected]
Tamra Ortgies Young
Instructor, Social Science Department
Georgia Perimeter College
Dunwoody Campus
[email protected]
32
Optimizing the NACADA Webcast . . . continued from page 15
Seminar and get more perspective on faculty advising, on the
role of faculty, and about how our campus might proceed to
enhance faculty advising. As a result of that group’s attendance
at the seminar, our campus made some significant decisions
about advising, including the appointment of a Director of
Academic Advising.
Albert Matheny, Director of the Academic Advising Center
in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University
of Florida, tells us that his institution has used Webinars to
increase professional awareness for advisors campus-wide,
and specifically uses Webinars and brown bag luncheons for
professional development. “Each year for the past three years,”
Albert said, “we have had an all-campus advisor workshop
that pulls together advisors and related personnel (with panels
not unlike those at NACADA conferences). We have not used
Webinars in that venue yet, but we see possibilities for a
greatly increased role for Webinar-recordings (on CD) in the
future, as conferences get harder to attend.”
The Webinar Advisory Board is wondering how you “consume”
Webcasts at your institution. What have you done that has
increased group attendance? For those participating alone,
what have you done to make Webinars useful and meaningful?
Have you gotten great results because of something started by a
Webinar? Tell us about it! Send your comments and suggestions
to Webinar Advisory Board Chair Karen Thurmond. Your ideas
will be added to the NACADA Web site for the benefit of
others.
Karen Thurmond
University of Memphis
[email protected]
Melissa Lantta
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
[email protected]
When and How to Ask for a Raise . . . continued from page 18
the meantime. Continue to help your students and institution,
keep track of your accomplishments, and look for ways to go
above and beyond!
Alison Hoff
Chair, NACADA Member Career Services Committee
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW)
[email protected]
Meredith Gerber
Career Counselor, College of Charleston
Member, NACADA Member Career Services Committee
[email protected]
33
Join the Discussion! The NACADA . . . continued from page 20
Each group approached the discussion differently. Groups
addressed topics such as:
• the nature of self-authorship for multicultural students;
• how advisors could facilitate connection-making for students
from underrepresented populations;
• the shared responsibility for student success among students,
institutions, and those who work with students;
• the importance of equipping students to meet the expectations
of the mainstream while honoring students’ cultural values;
• the role of the academic advisor in challenging individual
students to expand their personal definition of success; and
• the importance of engaging genuinely with each student
and recognizing each student’s individual experience.
at future conferences and add your voice to the discussion.
Please join the conversation!
Janet K. Schulenberg
Senior Undergraduate Studies Adviser & Coordinator of FTCAP
Programming
Division of Undergraduate Studies
Penn State University
[email protected]
References
Fries-Britt, S., & Griffin, K. A. (2007). The black box: How high
achieving blacks resist stereotypes about black Americans.
Journal of College Student Development, 48(5), 509-524.
Bensimon, E.M. (2007). The underestimated significance of
practitioner knowledge in the scholarship on student success.
The Review of Higher Education, 30(4), 441-469.
As a result of reading this article and discussing it with
colleagues, participants indicated that they recognized new
challenges and opportunities for helping students, became more
interested in engaging in scholarly inquiry, and were inspired
to effect change on their own campuses. One participant
responded, “I gained insight into the gaps at my own institution
and the courage to start conversations and suggest readings
when I return after the conference.” Another remarked that
the most valuable message gained from the session was the
“reminder that many students from underrepresented groups
view the world differently from me (i.e. they may interpret my
behavior, attitudes in ways I did not intend).”
The experience generated a, “Hey, you got scholarship in my
practice!” “You got practice in my scholarship!” conversation
for many participants. Just like chocolate and peanut butter,
putting the two together created something new: ideas for
practice, topics for further discussion, and questions for inquiry
that will ultimately benefit our students, advisors, institutions,
and the advising profession.
Please join your colleagues in sharing readings and discussions,
both within your own institution and with the larger NACADA
community. Look for NACADA Common Reading events
34
35
Region News: A Click Away!
NACADA members can view their Region’s news and information on the individual Region home
pages. The Region leadership will list announcements, post news articles & pictures, as well as
contact information for all Regional programs, other items of interest, and important links.
Visit www.nacada.ksu.edu/Regional_Divisions/regions.htm to see what is happening in your Region
and how you may become more involved by participating in events and activities! Bookmark your
favorite Region and check back often for new developments!
36
2009 Advising Awards Program
Now is the time to begin assembling your awards submission materials for the 2009 NACADA
Annual Awards Program. Recognition at the national level can enhance the visibility of quality
academic advising on your campus as well as in your state and region. There are several award
categories, including:
• Outstanding Advising Awards
• Outstanding New Advisor Awards
• Outstanding Institutional Advising Program Awards
• Service to NACADA Award
• Virginia N. Gordon Award for Excellence in the Field of Advising
• Pacesetter Award
• Summer Institute Scholarships
• NACADA Scholarships
• Student Research Awards
• Advising Technology Innovation Awards (formerly Electronic Publications)
• Retiree Recognition
The complete 2009 Awards Call for Nominations, including submission guidelines and
nomination forms, is available online at www.nacada.ksu.edu/Programs/Awards/AwardsCall.htm.
The deadline for the receipt of award nomination materials is Monday, March 2, 2009. Please
note that an e-mail confirmation is always sent to the nominator upon receipt of each submission.
We recommend that nomination materials be sent by a shipping service for which delivery can be
tracked. Be sure to contact NACADA at [email protected] if you do not receive an e-mail confirming
delivery of your materials.
Please be sure to refer closely to the criteria and guidelines in the 2009 Awards Call before
submitting final nomination materials.
Retiree Recognition submissions are due June 1, 2009. An online submission form for these
recognitions is also available online at www.nacada.ksu.edu/Programs/Awards/Retiree.htm.
37

Embrace Life`s Unexpected Journeys - Nacada

Transcription

Similar documents

Next Steps: After Admission

eurostar tirana

2014 - Nacada - Kansas State University

Townhouse Picture – Type 1

Region 1

KU BSW Newsletter - School of Social Welfare

Sun Life Financial and you

The Academic Advisement Model that GSU uses is a Split Model

Brochure PDF - L3 Corporation

May 2016

Brochure PDF